Legal or illegal IPTV? How to tell the difference

What makes an IPTV service legal?

IPTV technology is neutral: legal and infringing services use the same methods. The difference lies in the rights. A legal provider signs agreements with the channels' broadcasters, pays the royalties required by law and operates under supervision in line with national and EU legislation.

With a lawfully operating provider you will typically find:

• Identifiable company details: company name, registered office, company registration number, tax number.
• General terms and conditions: what the service includes, its fees, and the rules for fault repair and complaint handling.
• A privacy notice in line with the GDPR.
• Reachable customer service by phone or e-mail, not only an anonymous chat channel.
• An app in official app stores (Google Play, App Store, Samsung Apps).
• An invoice for every payment.

Warning signs: how to spot an infringing service

• An unrealistically large offer at an unrealistically low price – thousands of channels from all over the world, including almost every premium sports and film channel, for a few euros a month.
• A "lifetime" subscription for a one-off fee.
• Unusual payment methods – cryptocurrency only, gift cards or a private individual's bank account.
• Missing company details and terms – contact is only possible via a messaging app or social media.
• An app installed from an unknown source – you have to download an installer from a website and allow installation from "unknown sources".
• A channel list or access code to load into a generic player, without any contract.
• A "pre-configured" media player that makes pay channels watchable without a subscription.

Checklist before you subscribe

1. Check the company detailsThe company name, registered office and registration number should appear in the website footer or in the terms and conditions. They can be checked in the public company register.
2. Read the terms and conditionsA legal provider describes fees, fault repair, complaint handling and cancellation rules in detail.
3. Check where the app comes fromInstall only from official app stores. Be careful if a provider asks you to download the app from an unknown website.
4. Compare the price with the marketRights to premium channels are expensive. If an offer provides everything for a fraction of the market price, it is almost certainly infringing.
5. Pay in a traceable wayUse a bank card or transfer to a company account, and ask for an invoice. Avoid paying with cryptocurrency or gift cards.

For electronic communications services in Hungary, you can also check whether the provider appears in the public register of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH).

Can viewers be held liable?

Not only the infringing provider. In 2017, in the so-called Filmspeler case (C‑527/15), the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that selling pre-configured media players giving access to unauthorised content can be infringing, and that the copyright exception does not necessarily cover streaming from an obviously unlawful source.

Copyright infringement can have civil and, in more serious cases, criminal consequences. Beyond the legal risk, the practical risks – malware, data theft, lost subscription fees – are significant too; we cover them in a separate article.

What to do if you come across a suspicious offer

• Do not subscribe and do not give out personal or card details.
• If you have already entered your card details, contact your bank immediately and ask for the card to be blocked.
• If you installed an unknown app, remove it and scan your device with antivirus software.
• You can report the infringement to the rights holder or, in more serious cases, to the police.

Frequently asked questions

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