What is IPTV? IPTV Explained

IPTV platforms are becoming increasingly popular as more businessmen, content makers, and others see much profit in them. However, it is difficult to fully understand what IPTV is, how it works, and whether it can be beneficial in the future.

Let’s try to answer these questions, starting from the very beginning ”what is IPTV”.   

What is IPTV?

IPTV means Internet Protocol Television. It’s an alternative to cable TV that gives consumers a range of benefits, such as the ability to choose what to watch, wider choice of videos, diversity of them, etc. 

IPTV platforms earn money differently. Some of them can be free of charge but with ads interfering with the video. Other IPTV service owners can ask customers to pay for a monthly subscription. Additionally, some providers choose a pay-per-view model, which means that users pay only for a piece of video they want to watch right now. However, the IPTV service fee is less than the cable subscription fee. 

Additionally, some of the IPTV platforms sometimes stream live content, such as concerts, sporting events, etc. 

Unlike traditional TV, IPTV content can be delivered to any device: from enabled TV to mobiles phones, tablets, and other devices. 

How does IPTV work?

Let’s look at IPTV in comparison with other means of delivering content. 

• Traditional TV demands at least three essential parts: a TV camera, a TV transmitter, and a TV receiver. The TV camera converts a picture and sound into a signal. The TV transmitter sends the signal to the TV receiver that converts the signal back into the picture and sound.
• Satellite TV works almost the same. However, the necessary equipment differs a bit. While traditional TV needs towers and antennas to send signals, satellite TV uses DISH, an uplink center, satellites located on the ground and in space. 

The journey is the following: DISH receives feeds from TV channels and collects them at an uplink center. Then the data is sent to satellites on the ground, where it is transmitted to satellites in space. After that, space facilities send feeds to satellite dishes on the consumers’ houses.   

Broadcasting programs in real-time is what connects cable TV and satellite TV. The consumers are limited to shows and movies that are on air. Here is the spot where we turn to IPTV.

IPTV allows consumers to choose what to watch whenever they want. The customer needs an Internet connection and a set-top box. The set-top box is necessary for IPTV video transcoding. You see, they turn digital signals to analog so that a customer can get a picture on a TV set. 

Providers use CDN solutions to deliver their content as fast as possible. Moreover, CDN allows the distribution of content over long distances, so an IPTV platform owner reaches a wider audience. Consequently, the user experience is better due to the possibility to watch the same content in a different country. 

Additionally, a good CDN solution protects websites against DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service). 

5 Examples of IPTV services

There are some examples of IPTV services. Let’s give them a closer look.

FalconTV

FalconTV transmits TV channels that are popular in the UK and the USA. It also provides premium sports channels. The content is categorized into groups, such as sports, entertainment, etc. There are more than 4000 live TV channels in the FalconTV IPTV service. 

IPTV Trends

IPTV Trends provides users with more than 20,000 live TV channels and more than 60,000 videos that a consumer can watch at any time. The company offers video content of high quality. Also, its products are compatible with a range of devices, including laptops, Smart TVs, and others. 

Worthystream

Worthystream can also be watched on any device. Along with that, the service provides users with EPG (Electronic Program Guide). It allows consumers to navigate through programs easier. Most users prefer using Worthystream because of this feature.

The service offers more than 15,000 channels and more than 20,000 videos that can be watched on-demand. 

IPTV Gear

IPTV Gear allows users to watch shows, TV channels, and movies. The quality of videos is also high. What is more, the service uses technology that provides customers with content with minimal delay. The feature is highly appreciated by those who have a slow Internet connection.

Xtream HD IPTV

The use of Xtream HD IPTV gives a customer a wide choice of live TV channels and videos. The other advantage of the service is that it offers content not only in English but in other languages, too. What is more, the platform has catch-up functionality that allows consumers to watch the latest videos. 

Developers also equipped Xtream HD IPTV with the multi-screen feature. It means that a user can manage a number of programs at one time. 

The future of IPTV

We cannot predict the future, but we can assume it. 

What do we have? In 2015, the number of IPTV users exceeded the number of those consuming traditional TV. From 2015 till 2018, the number of IPTV subscribers grew by 23%. 

According to researchers from Grand View Research, the IPTV industry revenue is going to be $67.6 billion by 2027. The annual growth rate was estimated at 7.1%. However, MardoIntelligence thinks that the revenue will be approximately $104.25 billion by 2025 with an annual growth rate of 16.9%. 

This data is also the result of the smartphone users’ growth tendency. Most of them access the Internet from their mobile phone devices. That is why there is an opinion that the number of users accessing IPTV services from their smartphones will increase. 

It seems like IPTV platforms are on their way to becoming more comfortable and easy to use. Moreover, providers do their best to provide users with content they want to watch. It means that the number of videos that consumers have at their disposal will only grow. 

However, there is a tendency to offer niche content to people so that an IPTV business owner reaches smaller audiences but builds strong relationships with them. User experience may rule everything as well. 

Final Thoughts

Complete IPTV solution might help your business greatly. It can increase your revenue and build strong relationships with customers. As customers pay more and more attention to the brands’ reputation, the general message they stick to, their tone of voice, and customer service. All these things matter to consumers when they decide whose product to buy.

IPTV can give a business owner all these profits. Also, having an IPTV platform that simply transmits movies can be quite beneficial.