If you are looking to cut the cable cord and move to streaming, you have probably been told by someone you know that you can get all the same great content, and more, for a fraction of the price with IPTV services.
This is certainly true. There are services out there that give you access to hundreds or even thousands of live TV channels, an extensive selection of on-demand movies and TV shows, plus special events like pay-per-view sports, for a fraction of the cost of your cable bill.
But finding a service that functions well consistently and you can trust is not always a simple matter. Why is that important? Read on to find out.
In this article, we will explain how IPTV services are able to offer so much content at such an affordable price and the risks involved with using an IPTV service.
We will then recommend five high-quality and reliable IPTV services you can start using today.
IPTV Service Links
Tanggula IPTV  | Most Affordable | CHECK | Most Affordable |
Iconic Streams  | Best New Service | CHECK | Best New Service |
TV Team  | Best For International Channels | CHECK | Best For International Channels |
OnlineIPTVPro  | Easy To Set Up | CHECK | Easy To Set Up |
IPTV Subscription  | Best For English-Language Content | CHECK | Best For English-Language Content |
How Do IPTV Services Work?
IPTV simply stands for Internet Protocol TV, and so it refers to any TV that is delivered via the internet rather than via more traditional means.
This means that all of your live TV streaming services, such as Sling TV and Hulu Live TV are IPTV services.
But when someone talks to you about IPTV, the chances are that they aren’t talking about these premium subscription services that give you access to between 20 and 100 channels for $30 to $70 per month.
They are talking about affordable subscription services, which usually cost less than $20 per month, that give you access to literally thousands of TV channels, as well as big libraries of the latest movies and the most popular TV shows, as well as access to premium pay-per-view sporting events.
Premium live TV subscription services are expensive because they have struck formal licensing deals with the channels they offer, and these tend to cost them a lot.
IPTV services are affordable because they have no such licensing agreements. Rather, they have access to these channels through some form of individual subscription, and they provide secondary users visibility of those channels by “spilling” the content over and allowing their subscribers to “observe” the content that they have legitimately paid for at some point.
This does sound legally dubious, but the fact is that the law does not yet cover this kind of activity. Because nothing is being downloaded, it is not being duplicated, and therefore, no piracy is occurring.
This means that these IPTV services are taking advantage of a legal gray area. They aren’t technically doing anything wrong, but their activity still carries significant risk.
This is why, for example, you will never find a complete list of channels available on an IPTV service listed on a website anywhere, as this would draw attention towards activity that they would like to see fly under the radar.
The Risks Of IPTV
So, what risks does this pose for you?
Firstly, there is a chance that IPTV services could go out of business at any time. If they do face legal pressure, their best option can be to shut down. If this happens, you will lose your service.
Second, if you have any kind of dispute with your IPTV service provider, such as in regard to subscription fees, the dubious nature of the service that they are offering means that it would not be in your best interests to pursue them legally.
Finally, if authorities did decide to shut down an IPTV service, they could gain access to their records to discover who is using the service. While to date, authorities in the U.S. have focussed on catching the distributors or illegal content rather than the consumers, they would be within their rights to pursue you.
While these risks are unlikely to affect you, they are things you need to be aware of.
How To Use IPTV Services Safely?
To make use of IPTV services safely, the first thing to do is pay anonymously. Bitcoin or an anonymous PayPal account are good choices.
Secondly, always use a VPN service to protect your anonymity while using an IPTV service. This means the use of the service cannot be traced back to you through your IP address or personal data.
To learn more about how VPN works and why it is so essential when streaming content, read our article here.
You can find a list of the best VPN services to use with streaming devices here.
The final thing is to make sure that you find an IPTV service that is secure and trustworthy. We suggest taking recommendations from trusted sources and also checking your chosen IPTV services on review websites such as Trust Pilot.
5 Best IPTV Streaming Services
Below you will find our recommendations for the five best IPTV services you can start using today. They are all proven and safe services that offer lots of content at a very reasonable price.
You won’t find any channels listed for these services, since, as discussed, these lists don’t really exist. If you want to get a glimpse of what is available on each service, most of them offer a free trial period. Or look for “unboxing” videos on YouTube in which users offer you a quick glimpse into what content is available.
1. Tanggula IPTV
Tanggula is a company known for selling fully loaded TV boxes, so the TV boxes that come with their IPTV service are already set up. You can find our review of their most recent box here.
But Tanggula also offers a subscription to their IPTV service for just $99 a year, making them the cheapest IPTV service on this list.
They are also the IPTV service with the most content. They are currently offering more than 10,000 live TV channels, more than 200,000 on-demand movies, and more than 3,000 TV series on-demand. With your subscription, you also get access to all the latest pay-per-view events, so never miss another boxing match or MMA fight.
Tangulla also has a great reputation for security and service.
2. Iconic Streams
Iconic Streams is a new service on the market, but they are already making a name for themselves by offering around 5,000 channels, many in full HD streaming quality.
It is also not necessarily a bad thing that they have a smaller user base than some of the more established channels as it means less traffic on their servers and faster streaming speeds.
Their service is particularly strong when it comes to UK channels, especially sports, and adult content, if that is what you are looking for.
It has a relatively modest collection of on-demand content, numbering only about 5,000 titles. But that is a side effect of the newness of the service and the library is growing daily.
The service costs just $15 per month, or you can get a discount if you sign up for a longer contract.
3. TV Team
If one of the reasons you want an IPTV service is to be able to watch international channels in multiple languages, then TV Team won’t disappoint. They have hundreds of channels from around the world, including a good selection of Spanish, German, and Turkish options.
This does mean that in their collection of 8,000 channels you do get a fewer English language channels, but all the major channels that most viewers are looking for are still covered. Lots of the best channels are available in 1090P full HD.
They also have a respectable collection of around 7,500 movies and TV series available to watch on-demand.
TV Team is a very affordable service, costing only around $13.50 a month. You also get the bonus of being able to pay anonymously with Bitcoin.
4. OnlineIPTVPro
OnlineIPTVPro stands out in the market in terms of how easy it is to use. It is much easier to install and manage than many of the other IPTV services out there. They also have a great episode guide that makes it feel like you are browsing on your old cable box.
It is a relatively expensive service, costing $25 per month, but with that you can stream on up to four devices simultaneously. You get a good range of channels, a solid on demand line-up, and access to all the big pay-per-view-events.
5. IPTV Subscription
If one of the things you don’t like about IPTV services is having to navigate through thousands of channels, many foreign language channels that you aren’t interested in, then IPTV Subscription will appeal.
They have chosen to just focus on English language TV, bringing you around 700 of the best channels. The fact that their service is streamlined means they can also provide a superior episode guide and browser.
You will also find that you have access to around 20,000 movies and TV series on-demand.
The service costs $18.99 per month, with discounts available when you subscribe for longer periods. You can stream on up to three devices simultaneously, including on-the-go with their browser based portal.
The Verdict
IPTV services can be a great way to get access to a lot of content in an affordable way. Most IPTV services offer access to thousands of channels and movies and shows on-demand for less than $20 per month.
But it is important to be aware that these services are able to do this because they function in a legal gray area. This means that there are also risks attached to using these services.
It is important to take measures to mitigate these risks, starting by only subscribing to IPTV services with a good reputation that you can trust. You can start with the five great services that we have on our list.
Do you have a favorite IPTV service, or have you had problems with any of the big services? Share your experience in the comments section below.
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