IPTV or Internet Protocol Television is a catch-all term that refers to services that provide access to TV via an internet connection. In a world where convenience comes first, online streaming and VOD (video on demand) are popular types of IPTV used to watch your favorite TV shows and movies.
If you’re wondering whether IPTV is legal or not, the short answer is yes. However, the long answer is that it can be quite complex. IPTV itself is legal, but not all IPTV services are.
For example, legal IPTV services like Hulu, YouTube, and Sling abide by the correct copyright laws. With this, if a service provider doesn’t hold the correct licenses for the content it provides, then it is considered illegal.
For every show available via a legal IPTV, the service must adhere to intellectual property laws and obtain a license. Often, IPTV services come at a cost through the form of a monthly or annual subscription.
However, this doesn’t imply that all free IPTV services are illegal. Although, in most cases, you’ll need to pay for it.
If you’re worried about your streaming subscriptions, rest assured that well-known IPTV services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu are legal IPTV providers. However, identifying an illegal IPTV service can be tricky.
In most cases, a legal IPTV service can be identified by its reputation alone. While not all services are subscription-based or paid for, many illegal IPTV services are priced significantly lower than legal ones. Because illegal IPTV service providers don’t have to pay for production costs or licensing, they are often cheaper or even free.
Although Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are becoming an increasingly popular method of payment for genuine services, illegal IPTV providers tend to opt for this method of payment due to their hard-to-trace nature.
Another telltale sign of an illegal IPTV service is the quality of the content. Obtaining content through illegal means can typically result in lower-quality video and audio streams.
Alongside this, illegal IPTV services tend to sway towards adding pop-ups, adverts, and fake buttons that open external links.
