Are IPTV Service Subscription Legal?

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol TV, which is a competing way to deliver television to consumers versus more terrestrial methods such as OTA, cable, or satellite. IPTV can embody many things and there are certainly legitimate IPTV services available on the market today.

For example, Sling TV, Hulu, FuboTV, AT&T TV Now, Philo, and similar type IPTV streaming services provide television broadcasts leveraging Internet Protocols and they are perfectly legal as an alternative to traditional cable and satellite subscriptions.

Make no mistake, the IPTV subscriptions that are offering hugely discounted prices for thousands of HD and premium channels ARE NOT legitimate. This is a growing black market that remains elusive to authorities and is growing in popularity with American and Canadian consumers.

In fact, a recent study has shown that 6.5% of North American households have subscribed to or accessed pirated IPTV content. Those are pretty staggering numbers when you think of it. For argument's sake, let’s estimate 400 million citizens in the US and Canada, 6.5% of which equals 26 million. That’s almost the entire population of Canada alone! And the numbers are even larger globally.

A quick Google search will quickly show you the plethora of IPTV subscription services available.

While these sites are clearly illegal, they do seem to offer quite a comprehensive channel line-up that includes all the major networks and premium channels.

Admittedly, it is very tempting to sign up for these IPTV services, most offering a free three days trial, such as gtviptv.com/en. I have to admit I was tempted to try one myself.

If you are engaging in any illegal streaming activity, whether it be Kodi or some other IPTV streaming service, it is highly recommended that you use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to protect your location and anonymity. A VPN is a virtual private network that essentially masks your IP address from the end-point IP address you are connecting to by using encryption techniques.