Internet Protocol Television has come forth in recent years as an alternative to cable and satellite television. Unlike either of these services, however, IPTV streams over the Internet. It therefore fits well into today’s world, where the viewer having more choice and flexibility seems to be the prevailing model. In effect, the Internet Protocol Television service allows for a more-of-the-time, more-in-your-way viewing life. Of the few good quality IPTV players in the market, one certainly stands out for UK viewers. And that happens to be BT.
The UK TV market has for long been the bastion of Sky TV. Sky delivers an all-rounded package of TV al modes ranging from sports and movies to every other form of entertainment through its IPTV service. Its base service version is called Sky Q, which, when talking about the actual delivery of service, no doubt is better than its predecessor in regard to features and interface. The viewing experience somehow seems smoother and smarter. Also, the viewer has access to what is essentially a Sky TV vault packed with enough on-demand content that, what with the kind of watch-it-anytime warrior attitude you’re supposed to have these days, you could hardly feel any part of that vault is underutilized.
In the United Kingdom, telecommunication services are very well-developed and quite popular. Virgin Media is one of the leading telecommunications providers, and its IPTV service is among the most popular in the country. Virgin’s top-tier service offers over 350 television channels, including the most popular: the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. Operated by a leading consumer electronics company (Liberty Global), Virgin also features what is thought to be the number 1 set-top box in the country: the V6. This enables recording of up to six live TV shows simultaneously. Not only that, you can store up to 1,000 hours worth of content on the box.
Live sports this that and the other, but BT TV could quite easily just be the name of the service for all the on-demand TV you want to watch. Not only does BT TV have a pretty fair few live channels—Time-lord willing, they pause and rewind in HD for this! —besides the ones you can catch with an aerial, but it also packs in an almost overwhelming library of on-demand entertainment.
However BT TV’s real showstopper might still be its alliance with BT Sport, meaning if you are willing to stump up for this package you are able to watch a bloody lot of live sport. Free, IPTV service YouView has some nuggets of gold in there. Its launch partnership with the BBC, one of the UK’s two big public-service broadcasters (the other being Channel 4), gives it access to a plethora of content, including the Beeb’s various IPTV channels. Partnerships with some other large UK channels – including public-service channel 4 and private channel ITV – and content from Sky and from cable network Virgin Media mean there’s no dearth of highly attractive content available to entice UK audiences.
Sky also offers its more laid-back streaming with the brand called NOW TV. It offers users access to a wide variety of channels, plus on-demand programming-for all that’s required is a small sign-up which then creates a no-commitment, no-contract service. So NOW TV comes in an array of pass options like entertainment, cinema, and even sports-so there is surely something for everyone. But what the service does appeal for is the ease of using it and in the variety of devices it supports. And what may be a great headline for this is being able to view the premium stuff Sky offers without paying for the full Sky service.Viewers today still have an array of television options from which to choose, but the selection keeps moving in a singular direction: toward more affordable, more flexible systems. One of these systems is Internet Protocol Television, which is rapidly meeting viewer demand. If you’re in the market for IPTV, you’ll most likely consider providers like Sky TV, Virgin Media, BT TV, YouView, or NOW TV. All of them offer a variety of viewing devices, along with their exclusive selling points. Sky TV has been around for years and brings an already well-oiled IPTV machine; this means BT TV is a recent development, which (ever so slightly) techs up the way it delivers programs and movies to your eyes.