Most of us want television to be just as comfortable, versatile and enjoyable as watching something online. That’s why we look for alternative ways to replace basic day-to-day cable or satellite programming. As a result of these searches, platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and IP TV come into our lives. Lately, however, we’ve been hearing that IPTV to users Are sanctions imposed? The question of its legality is more questioned as it is a more obscure and unknown concept than the others.

Unfortunately, as today’s digitization moves have spread to broadcast television, IP TV is also viewed illegally, although it is a legal service. As a result of this information, What is IP TVwhich IP TVs are illegalLet’s take a closer look at the answers to questions such as which ones are and which ones aren’t.

What is IPTV?

IPTV (internet protocol televisionAs the name suggests, it is the broadcasting of television programs using the Internet protocol. In a more understandable way, we can explain IP TV as encrypted or unencrypted channels are converted into IP packets and broadcast to the end user through internet access technologies. In other words, IP TV transmits TV series and movies through your internet connection rather than through satellite.

IP TV, the first broadcast of which was the World News Now program of the American channel ABC, began to be used in the US and European countries in the early 2000s. The work of IP TV Turkish telecom started in our country in 2008. After a development process of 2 years, it was made available to users under the name Tivibu.

How does IP TV work?

IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) As the name suggests, its foundation is based on data transmission over the Internet. IPTV, which we will show as examples of broadcasting platforms such as Tivibu and Turkcell TV+, which have a large user base in our country, briefly provides video and audio data over the Internet.

IPTV, compared to satellite broadcasting, which have several advantages in their own way, price and availability We can say that it has several characteristics in terms of: If we add that the packets made by the broadcaster that contain the broadcast data are generally delivered to our home through fixed lines, let’s also say that the satellite and antenna technology remains more analog than IPTV and is an old technology in terms of accessibility.

In the most general sense, the programs we watch on television are converted into radio waves and broadcast over the air and sent to the roof antennas in the house. The antenna converts these waves back into electrical signals. Your television set decodes these broadcast signals to produce sound and video. So, how does IP TV work? The working logic of IP TV is quite simple.

Signals broadcast by television channels are converted to digital by undergoing various processes. This digital data is sent to IP TV for broadcasting over internet lines using various distributors. However, to transfer the data to be received to the TV via the Internet connection, you must have a satellite receiver with IP TV support, a Smart TV enabled TV or an IP TV supported box.

Which IP TV services are legal and which are not?

Using IP TV in itself is not a crime, but using IPTV broadcast illegally and watch these broadcasts constitutes a crime. So to answer this question, the first thing to consider is which broadcasts contain IP TV. For example, if you watch public unencrypted channels from IP TV with the permission of the broadcaster, that’s no problem.

Tivibu, which provides Türk Telekom services in our country, or Turkcell TV+, which is provided by Turkcell, are good and legal examples of legal IP TVs. As we mentioned above, in addition to the television industry broadcasting channels, online broadcasting platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime also fall into the legal IP TV category in a sense.

What punishments are given to those who watch IP TV?

As consumers, let’s take a closer look at the cost of watching an illegal IP TV broadcast. If you are a consumer who legally watches IP TV, there is no penalty for you. However, if you are not a consumer watching IP TV illegally, things are changing here and your action is a crime. This act, which is defined as the crime of needless exploitation according to the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237, is explained as follows:

“Anyone who uses telephone lines and frequencies or encrypted or unencrypted electromagnetic wave transmissions without the consent of the owner or possessor shall be liable to imprisonment from six months to two years or a fine.”

So to sum up, if you’re watching IP TV illegally. 6 months to two years in prison or fine You can be punished with

What penalties are imposed on those who broadcast IP TV?

Persons and institutions that illegally broadcast IP TV receive fines that are much higher than the fine for the end user. for the crime of gratuitous exploitation 6 months to two years in prison not only be punished, but also for illegal marketing reasons. 69,086 TL administrative money and broadcast suspension is also given. Considering that the Advertising Commission continues to work on the above-mentioned issues without slowing down, we strongly recommend that you do not engage in such illegal practices.

The future of IP TV

It is very difficult to estimate the number of users of IP TV services today. Given the wide variety of distributors, different formats, and an incredibly wide range of illegal content, there is a lot of data to consider. According to research by Grand View Research, the value of the IP TV market in 2025 will be $117 billion It is said to happen.