Illegal IPTV: Why Some Viewers Are Turning Their Backs on Legal Streaming

When illegal IPTV services are discussed, the spotlight usually falls on the major piracy networks and the police, regulators and rights-holders trying to shut them down. Far less attention is paid to the millions of viewers who choose these subscriptions and stop paying for legitimate platforms and channels. To understand what is driving that demand, we spoke to several users who have opted for unlawful IPTV services.

“If they cut prices, I’ll subscribe”

“It’s cheaper.” Antoine (all names have been changed) does not hesitate when asked why he moved towards pirated TV. He says he first heard about IPTV through family chat: “My cousin’s boyfriend had it.”

He says he has no regrets, arguing that the service lets him watch sport and his favourite series at prices he describes as around ten times lower than legal options. In his household, IPTV has become the only way they watch television, with no other subscriptions in place. “The core issue is the price. If there were cheaper platforms, that would be appealing - but that’s not going to happen any time soon,” he says.

Thomas tells a similar story. He was introduced to IPTV by a friend, who recommended a service offering thousands of channels from multiple countries for €90 a year. “You pay via PayPal and they even have customer support on Telegram,” he says, adding that the package also includes a large catalogue of French-language films and series in HD.

With the service working well, Thomas says he no longer sees the point of paying for subscriptions such as Netflix, Max or Apple TV+. Still, he suggests he could be tempted back by cheaper legal offers: “If they lowered prices, I could return to the mainstream services - Disney+ at €2 a month is a move in the right direction,” he says.

Patchy streams, sudden shutdowns and other technical headaches

For other users, the issue is not only price but the way content is spread across multiple services. Alexandre explains that he already has a Bouygues Telecom set-top box with free-to-air channels and subscribes to Amazon Prime Video. But to follow tennis and watch certain films, he says he would have needed to stack additional subscriptions - citing Netflix, beIN Sports, Canal+ Sport and Eurosport. “I’m not rolling in money, and a colleague offered me an annual IPTV subscription for €85, so I took the plunge. But it doesn’t work any more - they must have been caught,” he says.

He is not alone in describing feeds that abruptly stop, which can happen when illegal providers are taken offline. Beyond that, several subscribers mention glitches and serious slowdowns. Nicolas recalls: “On Champions League nights, the live stream on Canal+ via IPTV kept buffering, so I ended up watching on German channels.”

Little fear of being caught

What about concern over enforcement? Almost none of those we spoke to raised the risk of being identified or sanctioned. Nicolas is the exception, but says he has never been particularly worried. “When I was a teenager, my parents received a letter from Hadopi. Apart from a brief conversation with them, I carried on without any problems. There are millions of us pirating - they’re not going to send everyone to prison,” he says.

Hadopi was the French authority created to curb online copyright infringement, historically known for warning letters to households suspected of illegal downloading.