Side by side
| IPTV service | Streaming service (Netflix, Disney+ and similar) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Live TV channels on a schedule, usually with some on-demand | Mainly an on-demand library of films and series |
| How you watch | A player app or box with a TV guide | The service’s own app |
| Choosing what to watch | Change channel, or browse the guide | Search or browse, then press play |
| Own exclusive shows | No | Yes, their originals |
| Login | A playlist, Xtream Codes login or portal from your provider | An account with the service |
| TV Licence (UK) | Needed for live TV | Not needed for on-demand only (except BBC iPlayer) |
The real difference: live or on demand
A live channel shows what’s being broadcast now. You join a programme partway through, and the guide tells you what’s on next. That’s what you want for news, sport and anything you’d watch as it happens. IPTV is live TV delivered over the internet instead of an aerial, dish or cable; see what is IPTV?.
An on-demand service has no schedule. Everything starts from the beginning when you press play, you can pause for as long as you like, and the library changes as titles are added and removed.
The lines blur at the edges. Many IPTV players show films and series in a separate on-demand section, and catch-up lets you go back to programmes already shown; see catch-up TV. The UK broadcasters’ apps do both: live channels and a catch-up library. See free internet TV in the UK.
The TV Licence divides them
GOV.UK’s rule is about what you watch, not the device or app:
- Live TV on any channel or service, including an IPTV service or a broadcaster’s app, needs a TV Licence.
- BBC iPlayer needs one for anything, live or on demand.
- On-demand only, on services other than iPlayer, doesn’t. GOV.UK names Netflix and Disney+ as examples.
So a household that only watches streaming services on demand may not need a licence, while anyone watching live channels does, however they arrive. See IPTV and the TV Licence.
Using both
The two sit side by side on the same device. A Fire TV Stick, Google TV or Apple TV runs the streaming services’ apps and an IPTV player, so you switch between them from the home screen. On a smart TV, the built-in app store usually has the big streaming apps but a smaller choice of IPTV players; see smart TV apps or a streaming stick.
Before paying for live channels
Streaming services hold the rights to what they show. With IPTV, rights vary from one service to the next, so it’s worth checking who runs the service and what it’s licensed to carry. See is IPTV legal? and how to choose an IPTV provider.