What is IPTV in the UK? IPTV stands for internet protocol television, and it means watching television that arrives over your broadband line instead of through a satellite dish, an aerial or a cable. You open an app on a device you already own, the app asks a server for the channel or programme you picked, and the picture is streamed to you in real time.
In short
- IPTV is television sent over the internet. No dish, aerial or cable box is involved.
- You need a device that can run an IPTV app, a broadband line and a log-in from a provider.
- It differs from a subscription streaming app because it can carry live channels as well as on-demand titles.
- Whether a particular service is lawful depends on its rights to the content, which is a separate question from the technology; see Is IPTV legal in the UK?.
What IPTV means, in plain terms
Traditional television sends every channel to every home at once, and your box picks one. IPTV works the other way round. Your device asks for one channel or one programme, and only that stream travels to you. That is why the same technology sits behind apps that let you pause live TV, jump back to a programme you missed, or pick a film from a list.
The word is used in two ways, which causes some confusion. Some broadband and pay-TV companies use IPTV technology inside their own boxes, and you never see it. The other meaning, which this article is about, is a service you subscribe to separately and play in an app of your choosing.
How IPTV compares with other ways of watching
| Route | How it reaches you | What you need | What you pay for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial (digital terrestrial) | Radio signal to a rooftop aerial | Aerial and a TV or box | Equipment, then a TV Licence |
| Satellite | Dish pointed at a satellite | Dish, cable, receiver | Installation, then any subscription |
| Cable | Fibre or coax to the home | Provider's box | Provider's package |
| Subscription streaming apps | Internet, on demand | App on a device | A subscription per service |
| IPTV subscription | Internet, live and on demand | App, log-in, broadband | The subscription |
Two things stand out. First, IPTV and streaming apps share the broadband line, so speed and steadiness matter to both. Second, an IPTV subscription is entered in an app, so the same account can move between your TV, phone and tablet without new hardware.
What you need to use it
A device that can run a compatible app is the first requirement. Fire TV Sticks, Samsung and LG Smart TVs, Android TV boxes, Apple TV, iPhones, iPads and Android phones all have apps. The second is a broadband line with room for video: think of 10 Mbps per HD picture and 25 Mbps per 4K picture as rough planning figures, and use broadband speed for IPTV for the full table. The third is a log-in from a provider, usually an Xtream Codes account or an M3U link; M3U, Xtream Codes or MAC explains the difference.
What happens when you press play
The app sends a request to the provider's server for the channel you chose. The server answers with the video in small pieces, a few seconds long, and your device collects them and stitches them together. It holds a short buffer, usually a few seconds' worth, so that a brief wobble in your connection does not show on screen. If your line cannot deliver pieces at the rate they are played, the buffer empties and the picture freezes. That one mechanism explains most of the troubleshooting advice in our freezing and buffering guide.
What IPTV is not
- It is not the same as a Smart TV. A Smart TV is hardware that can run apps, including IPTV apps; IPTV is the service the app plays.
- It is not the same as downloading a film. A stream plays as it arrives and is not kept as a file.
- It is not automatically lawful because it is online. Lawfulness turns on rights, as explained in Is IPTV legal in the UK?.
- It is not a VPN or a way of hiding what you do. A VPN is a separate product with its own trade-offs.
Why people choose it
The usual reasons are practical. One account works on several devices, the app is chosen by the viewer rather than the seller, and the price is set per plan instead of per package. Others like that it runs over a broadband line already in the house, which matters for people who have moved or who split the year between two homes. Whether those advantages outweigh the trade-offs is the subject of Is IPTV worth it in the UK?.
Live, catch-up and on demand
A live channel follows the schedule. Catch-up lets you watch a programme again for a limited time, on channels that support it. On demand is a library of films and series you start when you like. How much of each a subscription includes depends on the provider and the plan, which is why a plan page should say so; catch-up, timeshift and recording goes into the differences.
Where British IPTV fits
British IPTV sells its subscriptions in pounds, as Standard and Premium plans of 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. It resells: the streams come from servers run by providers whose service it passes on. The How it works page takes you step by step from choosing a plan to the first programme, and the British IPTV home page has the plans and prices.
Questions people ask next
The questions below come up again and again once someone understands the basics. The full FAQ covers the rest.