What is IPTV? A plain-English guide

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television. Instead of arriving through a satellite dish, an antenna or a cable box, the picture is sent to you as data over your broadband connection, the same way a web page or a video call is.

Almost every modern TV service is IPTV in a technical sense. YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Pluto TV and the BBC iPlayer all stream live channels over the internet. When people say 'IPTV' online, though, they often mean cheap unlicensed subscriptions sold through resellers, which is a very different thing.

There are three broad models. Live TV streaming services (vMVPDs) bundle traditional channels for a monthly fee. FAST services (free ad-supported streaming TV) like Pluto TV, Tubi and Samsung TV Plus offer hundreds of linear channels for free in exchange for ads. Broadcaster apps like ITVX, CBC Gem or Channel 4 stream their own channels, often free in their home country.

To watch, you need a reasonably stable connection (roughly 5-10 Mbps per HD stream and 25 Mbps or more for 4K), a device that runs the service's app, such as a smart TV, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast or a games console, and an account with the service.

The key takeaway: IPTV isn't a grey area in itself. The technology is mainstream. What matters is whether the service you pay actually holds the rights to the channels it streams.