Are you wondering if watching IPTV is legal in Europe? In today’s advanced world, IPTV is gaining popularity rapidly. Many people want to watch live channels on TV. IPTV offers the perfect solution. There are many people who don’t know about IPTV. If you are among the people who don’t know about IPTV, then you are in the right place.
In this post, we have talked about if IPTV is legal to watch in Europe or not. Have a look!
What is IPTV?
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a term used for any television that transmits over the web instead of cable and satellite platforms. There are several types of IPTV including:
- Online-only TV channels like Cheddar TV.
- Online-only TV providers such as DirecTV, Sling TV, and PlayStation Vue.
- TV network apps like FOX Now and BBC iPlayer
- Websites offering free live TV.
- Third-party subscription IPTV services.
- Plugins for apps Plex, Emby, and Kodi.
IPTV is a broad term that even includes on-demand video services like Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Is IPTV Legal in Europe?
The most commonly asked question is, “Is it legal to watch IPTV in Europe?” The answer is that it depends on the type of IPTV.
You can rest assured online-only TV providers are completely legal. This is because they are licensed. As far as online-only TV channels and TV network apps are concerned, they are also legal. So, legal IPTV services have media publishing rights for the channels. These services share part of their revenue with the channels. Examples of legal IPTV include Hulu, Sling TV, DirecTV Now and YouTube TV.
In addition, there are legal IPTV websites as well like ESPN or TVPlayer. Some of them are available for free.
The Illegal IPTV includes services that stream the contents of the channels without permission. Such services stay anonymous and stream illegally like Area 51. However, streaming TV channels such as Terrarium TV, Kodi and others are also considered illegal. This is because any service that has low charges are considered illegal.
In Europe, watching illegal streaming is considered as illegal since 2017. According to the EU Court of Justice, without proper permission or subscription, streaming copyrighted content is against the law. For instance, a copyright owner suspects that an IP address is streaming the content illegally. They have the right to take out a court law for forcing to reveal the user’s ISP and know about their identity.
This can lead to the copyright owner dragging the viewer to the court or might ask them to pay a ransom. You can even search the internet to look at similar cases and find out how much were they fined.
Therefore, some IPTV is legal while some are not. For avoiding jail time or a long debit, you must be diligent to know which service is illegal and which is not. If you want to legally watch IPTV, here is the best option. For more details, visit the website.
