"Is IPTV legal?" is one of the most searched questions about internet TV in the UK, and the answers online range from "completely legal" to "you will go to prison". Neither is right. The honest answer depends on what you are watching and who is providing it.

This guide explains how UK law treats IPTV, what it means for people who sell subscriptions and for people who watch them, and how to tell whether a service is likely to be licensed. It is general information, not legal advice. If you need advice about your own situation, speak to a solicitor or Citizens Advice (opens in a new tab).

The short answer

IPTV, or Internet Protocol Television, is simply a way of delivering TV over the internet. The technology is legal, and it is used by licensed services every day. Broadcasters' own streaming apps, pay TV services delivered over broadband and many hotel and hospital TV systems all use IPTV.

What decides whether a particular IPTV subscription is legal is whether the provider has the rights to distribute the channels and programmes it streams. Licensed services pay rights holders for permission. Unlicensed services take channels without permission and resell access to them.

So the useful question is "is this IPTV service licensed to show what it shows?"

TV programmes, films and live sport are protected by copyright, and broadcasts themselves are protected as well. In the UK the main law is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (opens in a new tab) 1988.

Among other things, the Act gives rights holders the exclusive right to communicate their work to the public, which includes streaming it over the internet. Anyone who streams a channel to paying customers needs permission from whoever owns the rights to it. For a typical channel that can mean agreements with the broadcaster and with the owners of the programmes and sport it carries.

Rights are also sold by territory. A provider may hold the rights to show a channel in one country but not in another. That is why legitimate services are usually open about where they operate and what they can show.

What the law says about selling unlicensed IPTV

Most enforcement in the UK has focused on the people who supply unlicensed streams.

Criminal offences

Selling access to copyright works without permission can be a criminal offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Digital Economy Act (opens in a new tab) 2017 raised the maximum prison sentence for online copyright infringement on a commercial scale from two years to ten.

Prosecutors have also used fraud law against sellers of unlicensed IPTV, including charges of conspiracy to defraud. Several UK sellers have received prison sentences, and courts have made confiscation orders to recover the money they made.

Receiving programmes dishonestly

Section 297 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act makes it an offence to dishonestly receive a programme included in a UK broadcasting service with intent to avoid paying for it. This offence has historically been used against businesses, such as pubs showing paid-for sport through unauthorised means.

Selling devices loaded with unlicensed apps

Selling streaming boxes or sticks "fully loaded" with apps or add-ons that give free access to paid channels has also led to prosecutions. The device itself is legal. What turns it into a problem is selling it set up to access content without permission.

What it means for viewers

This is where most of the confusion lies.

Watching a licensed service

If you subscribe to a licensed IPTV service and use it as intended, you are doing nothing unlawful. You still need a TV Licence to watch live TV, as with any other service. Our article on TV Licences and IPTV explains the rules.

Watching an unlicensed service

UK enforcement against individual viewers has been rare compared with action against sellers. That does not make watching unlicensed streams lawful.

In 2017 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled, in a case decided while the UK was still in the EU, that streaming from a source you know to be unlicensed is not protected by the exception that normally covers temporary copies made while viewing. In practical terms, the court found that knowingly watching unlicensed streams can itself infringe copyright.

Viewers of unlicensed services also face practical risks that have nothing to do with prosecution:

  • The service can stop overnight when its servers are blocked or shut down, and the money you paid is usually lost.
  • Payment details can be misused. Unlicensed sellers rarely offer card payments with proper protection, and some are run by people who also commit other fraud.
  • Apps from unofficial sources can contain malware that steals personal information.
  • Your details may be seized. When enforcement bodies take down an unlicensed service, they sometimes obtain its customer records.

Website and server blocking in the UK

Rights holders can apply to the High Court for orders requiring UK broadband providers to block access to servers that stream their content without permission. These orders have been used for live sport for several years, and they are updated during the season as new servers appear.

If an IPTV service stops working on match days, or works on mobile data but not on home broadband, blocking orders may be the reason. A licensed service is not affected by them.

How to tell whether an IPTV service is likely to be licensed

You cannot see a provider's contracts, but you can look for signs that a service operates openly and legally.

Signs of a legitimate service

  • It names the company behind it and gives a way to contact a real person.
  • It publishes terms and conditions, a privacy policy and a refund policy.
  • It takes payment by debit or credit card, which gives you protection if something goes wrong.
  • Its prices are realistic for what it offers.
  • It can answer plainly when you ask how it holds the rights to its channels.

Warning signs

  • Promises of "every channel in the world" or every sports channel for a few pounds a month.
  • Payment only by gift card, cryptocurrency or bank transfer to a personal account.
  • Instructions to install apps from unexplained download links.
  • No company name, address or terms.
  • Pressure to buy a "lifetime" plan.

Our guide on how to spot an IPTV scam goes through these in more detail and explains what to do if you have already paid.

Consumer rights when you buy IPTV

If you buy a subscription from a legitimate UK business, you have the same consumer rights as with any other service bought online.

  • The Consumer Contracts Regulations (opens in a new tab) 2013 give you a 14-day cancellation period for most services bought online. If you ask for the service to start straight away, you may have to pay for what you have used.
  • The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (opens in a new tab) requires services to be provided with reasonable care and skill and as described.
  • Card payments can be disputed through your card provider's chargeback scheme, and credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000 are covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

These protections are much harder to use against a seller who hides who they are.

IPTV and the TV Licence

Whether a service is licensed or not, the TV Licence rules are separate. TV Licensing says you need a licence to watch or record programmes as they are shown live, on any channel, and to use BBC iPlayer, on any device. Paying for an IPTV subscription does not replace the TV Licence.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to own a Fire TV Stick or Android box?

No. Streaming devices are legal, and millions of UK homes use them for licensed services. What can be unlawful is using or selling them to access paid content without permission.

Is it illegal to use a VPN with IPTV?

Using a VPN is legal in the UK. A VPN does not make an unlicensed service lawful, though, and many licensed services restrict where they can be watched under their rights agreements.

Can I get a fine for watching unlicensed IPTV?

UK enforcement has concentrated on sellers, and action against individual viewers has been rare. But watching streams you know to be unlicensed can infringe copyright, and the safest approach is to use a service you have reason to believe is licensed.

Player apps that play your own subscription, such as VLC or IPTV Smarters, are legal. Apps or add-ons that come with paid channels built in for free almost always lack the rights to show them, and they are a common source of malware.

How do I report an unlicensed IPTV seller?

Organisations such as the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) take reports about illegal streaming. If you have lost money to a seller, report it to Report Fraud (opens in a new tab) (formerly Action Fraud) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland on 101.

Where King of Stream stands

We publish our terms, refund policy and contact details, act on copyright complaints, and do not advertise channels using broadcaster or league logos. You can read our full position on our page Is King of Stream legal?, and rights holders can contact us through our DMCA and copyright procedure.