For decades, UK homes chose between an aerial, a satellite dish or a cable connection. IPTV adds a fourth option that uses the broadband you already pay for. None of them is best for everyone, so this guide compares them on the things that matter day to day: what you pay, what you sign up to, what gets installed, and how reliable and flexible each one is.
The four ways to get TV in the UK
- Freeview and Freesat are free-to-air services received through an aerial (Freeview) or a satellite dish (Freesat). No subscription, a limited set of channels. Freeview Play TVs add the broadcasters’ on-demand players over broadband, and Freely streams the main channels with no aerial at all. See IPTV vs Freeview for that comparison on its own.
- Satellite pay-TV arrives through a dish and a set-top box, usually with a contract and optional premium packs.
- Cable TV arrives through a fibre or coaxial cable to a set-top box in areas the cable network reaches, usually bundled with broadband.
- IPTV streams channels over your broadband to an app on your TV, stick, box, phone or computer. See what is IPTV for how it works.
Some broadband providers’ TV services are themselves delivered as IPTV to their own set-top boxes. What sets an IPTV subscription like ours apart is that it isn’t tied to a particular box or broadband provider.
Side-by-side comparison
| Satellite | Cable | IPTV subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you need | Dish, cabling and set-top box | Cable connection and set-top box | Broadband and a streaming device or Smart TV |
| Installation | Engineer visit for the dish | Engineer visit if not already connected | None: install an app |
| Typical contract | 12 to 24 months | 12 to 24 months, often with broadband | None with us: pay once for 1 to 12 months |
| Extra rooms | Extra boxes, usually at extra cost | Extra boxes, usually at extra cost | Any device; extra connections for simultaneous viewing |
| Watch on phone or laptop | Through the provider’s app, if included | Through the provider’s app, if included | Yes, with the same subscription |
| Moving house | Dish and box reinstalled | Depends on network coverage | Sign in at the new address |
| Weather | Heavy rain or snow can interrupt | Rarely affected | Not affected; depends on broadband |
| Picture | HD, 4K on selected channels | HD, 4K on selected channels | Whatever the source provides, up to 4K and 8K |
Cost
Costs differ in two ways: the monthly price and the commitment.
Satellite and cable packages usually start with a base bundle and add premium packs for sport, films and extras. Most require a 12 to 24-month contract, and prices commonly rise each year during the contract. Extra set-top boxes for other rooms, HD or 4K options and installation can all add to the bill.
An IPTV subscription replaces most of that with one price. With us, every plan includes the full channel list and features; you choose 1, 3, 6 or 12 months and pay once, with no automatic renewal. The longer plans cost less per month. See the exact figures on our pricing page.
The one cost IPTV doesn’t remove is your broadband, which you almost certainly have already. If you only kept a cable package because it was bundled with broadband, it’s worth checking whether a broadband-only deal plus IPTV works out cheaper.
Installation and equipment
Satellite needs a dish with a clear line of sight to the south-east sky, which can be a problem for flats and listed buildings, plus cabling to each box. Cable needs your street to be on the network and an engineer visit if you’re not already connected.
IPTV needs none of that. You install a player on a Fire TV Stick, an Android TV box or directly on a Samsung or LG Smart TV, and sign in. For most people it takes about ten minutes, and it’s the easiest option for renters.
Reliability
Each system has its own weak point:
- Satellite can drop out in very heavy rain or snow, and a dish knocked out of alignment by wind needs re-pointing.
- Cable is generally very reliable, but outages in the local network affect every home on it.
- IPTV is immune to weather but depends entirely on your broadband and home Wi-Fi. A slow or overloaded connection causes buffering.
In practice, most IPTV problems are inside the home rather than on the line: a stick hidden behind the TV, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi in a crowded block of flats, or several people streaming at once. A cable to the main TV and 5 GHz Wi-Fi elsewhere solve most of them. Our internet speed guide explains what you need.
Picture quality
On all three, picture quality is set mainly by how each channel is produced and broadcast. Most channels are HD, and 4K is available for some films, series and events. IPTV adapts the quality to your connection, dropping briefly rather than freezing if your broadband dips; with a steady 10 Mbps per screen you get Full HD, and 25 Mbps covers 4K. See 8K and 4K IPTV for the details.
Flexibility and multi-room
This is where IPTV stands apart. The same subscription works on the living-room TV, a stick in the bedroom, a tablet in the kitchen and your phone on a train. There’s no extra box to rent for each room. With one connection, you watch on one screen at a time; with extra connections, several people watch different things at once.
Satellite and cable are built around set-top boxes. Extra rooms mean extra boxes, and watching away from home depends on what the provider’s own app includes.
Which should you choose?
| Your household | Likely best fit |
|---|---|
| You want premium channels and are happy with a long contract | Satellite or cable |
| You rent, or can’t fit a dish | IPTV |
| You want TV on several screens, including phones and tablets | IPTV |
| Your broadband is slow or unreliable | Satellite, or Freeview through an aerial |
| You want no contract and a fixed price | IPTV |
| You only watch the main free channels | Freeview or Freesat |
Many homes combine them: Freeview through an aerial for the main free channels, and IPTV for everything else and for other rooms.
Switching to IPTV
If you’re considering the switch, test before you cancel anything:
- Check your broadband speed on the TV or stick you’ll use (see internet speed for IPTV).
- Request a free trial and watch through a normal busy evening.
- Check the channels you rely on, the TV guide and catch-up.
- Only then give notice on any existing contract, checking its end date and any early-exit fees.
Before choosing any IPTV provider, read is IPTV legal in the UK: the answer depends on whether the service is licensed, and it affects viewers as well as sellers.
Compare it with your current TV
Run the free trial alongside your existing service for an evening and judge the difference on your own screen.