The formal definition
The ITU, the UN agency that sets telecoms standards, defines IPTV as multimedia services such as television, video, audio, text, graphics and data delivered over IP-based networks managed to provide the required level of quality of service and experience, security, interactivity and reliability. Its own overview adds that IPTV is not exclusively video streaming, over the internet, for a PC.
The key word is managed: the network operator controls the path from its servers to your set-top box and reserves capacity for TV.
Side by side
| Managed IPTV | OTT (over the top) | |
|---|---|---|
| Network | The operator’s own managed network | The open internet |
| Who controls quality | The operator, end to end | Nobody end to end; best effort |
| Typical delivery | Multicast to a set-top box, sometimes on its own VLAN | Unicast streams, usually HLS or MPEG-TS over HTTP |
| Devices | The operator’s box | Apps on any device |
| Examples | Broadband providers’ own TV services | BBC iPlayer, Netflix, IPTV player apps with a subscription |
Where “IPTV subscriptions” fit
What most people in the UK call an IPTV subscription is a login for a player app, such as TiviMate or IPTV Smarters, that streams live channels over your normal broadband. By the ITU’s definition that’s OTT delivery: your broadband provider treats it like any other video traffic. That’s why:
- it works on any internet connection, including mobile data and abroad, where the provider allows it,
- it needs no router setting; see what is IPTV mode on a router,
- its quality depends on your connection and the provider’s servers. See how to stop IPTV buffering.
Why the difference matters
- Troubleshooting. OTT problems are usually your connection, your Wi-Fi or the provider’s servers. Managed IPTV problems are usually for the broadband provider to fix.
- Router settings. IGMP, VLAN and “IPTV mode” settings exist for managed IPTV and do nothing for app-based streaming.
- Legality. Neither word says anything about whether a service is licensed. That depends on the rights to the channels, not the delivery method. See is IPTV legal in the UK.
For the technical difference in how streams reach you, see multicast vs unicast. For the everyday question of live channels against on-demand apps, see IPTV vs Netflix and other streaming apps.