If you have ever watched live TV through an app on a smart TV or streaming stick, you have already used IPTV. The name sounds technical, but the idea is simple: television delivered over your internet connection rather than through an aerial, a satellite dish or a cable box.
How IPTV works
IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television. Instead of a broadcast signal travelling through the air, the picture is sent to you in small packets of data over broadband, exactly like a video call or an online film. A player app on your device puts those packets back together and shows the channel on screen.
Because it runs over the internet, IPTV usually comes in three forms:
- Live TV – channels streamed in real time, with a TV guide showing what is on now and next.
- Catch-up – programmes you can go back to after they have aired.
- On demand – a library of films and series you can start whenever you like.
What you need
There is no dish to fit and no engineer to book. You need three things:
- Broadband – around 15–20 Mbps for Full HD and 25 Mbps or more for 4K. Our speed test tells you where you stand.
- A device – a smart TV, Fire TV Stick, Android box, phone, tablet or computer.
- A player app and a subscription – the app plays the streams, and the subscription gives you access to them.
IPTV vs aerial, satellite and cable
| IPTV | Satellite / cable | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Install an app | Dish or cable, often an engineer |
| Contract | Often none | Usually 12–24 months |
| Devices | TV, phone, tablet, laptop | Mainly the TV with the box |
| Depends on | Broadband speed | Signal and weather |
Is IPTV right for you?
IPTV suits households that already have decent broadband and want flexibility: watching in different rooms, on the move, or without being tied into a long contract. If your connection is slow or unreliable, fix that first, because the picture can only be as good as your internet.
Ready to try it? Choose a RamosTV plan and pick a plan, or read our setup guide to see how quick it is to get going.
