The phrase ‘Internet TV’ might make you think of on-demand streaming services watched on a laptop or mobile phone.
However, millions of households now watch live TV channels on their main television set via an internet connection. The switch to internet-connected TV viewing from traditional aerials and satellite dishes means more flexibility for customers – but also comes with its own problems.
What is internet TV?
Traditionally, broadcast TV signals have come into your home via a dedicated coaxial cable. Originally, this would have been connected to an aerial for terrestrial TV channels. Over time, technology switched to installing a satellite dish on the exterior of a home to provide a digital TV signal.
Today, more and more homes access their live TV services over the internet, either via their home WiFi network or a wired Ethernet connection.
Sky, the UK’s biggest Pay TV provider, made a huge step towards the switch to Internet TV being a permanent shift recently when they quietly phased out their Sky Q cable boxes for new customers. While the Sky Q technology is still supported for existing users – for now – new customers can choose between the Sky Stream puck and the Sky Glass smart TV.
Virgin Media, the second largest Pay TV provider in the UK, still offer their classic under-the-TV box, but this has always needed to be connected to your Virgin Media router as your TV signal enters your home through a combination TV and internet cable at the Virgin Media socket. Virgin has also begun to offer an internet TV streaming option to customers in the form of the Virgin Media Flex box.
What are the benefits of streaming TV channels over the internet?
There are a number of reasons internet TV is more convenient for customers, including:
- Easy install: No satellite dish install or drilling through external walls is needed, making setup much quicker and simpler.
- Streaming integration: An internet-enabled smart TV or streaming TV box makes it easier to switch between live TV channels and streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime.
- Smaller devices: Internet TV streaming boxes tend to be much smaller and more discreet than classic under-the-TV cable boxes, making them easier to fit into your home.
- Lower prices: Internet TV plans are usually cheaper than comparable satellite TV packages.
The disadvantages of internet TV
Unfortunately, internet TV is not without its drawbacks for customers.
- Need for speed: On an internet TV plan, your media quality is limited by your broadband speed, with 4K and UHD content needing a high-speed connection to run smoothly.
- Sharing bandwidth: Your home internet speed is split between every device on your network. If your internet TV streaming box is showing live sports in 4K, your connection will be slower across every other device in your home as the available bandwidth drops.
Is Internet TV the future?
Pay TV providers certainly seem to be pushing customers to switch to Internet TV – and it’s easy to see why. Providing live TV services over the internet means lower set-up and installation costs for providers and customers alike, and reduces the need to launch and maintain TV broadcast satellites.
We have also seen increasing integration between live TV and streaming services in recent years. Both Sky and Virgin Media offer customers the option to watch popular shows as on-demand boxsets as well as live broadcasts, and promote their internet TV streaming boxes as a hub for all your TV channels and services.
Ultimately, it looks like internet TV is here to stay – the question now is if ultrafast internet rollout can keep up with the demand for higher and higher speeds.
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