What is happening
The Premier League and other rights holders have obtained High Court orders requiring the UK’s major broadband providers, including Sky, BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, to block servers that stream their content illegally. The orders were first granted for the 2016/17 season and have been renewed since. They work in real time: servers are identified during matches and blocked while the game is live.
That is why users of unlicensed services see streams fail at kick-off, or find a service works on mobile data or abroad but not on home broadband.
Is IPTV itself blocked?
No. Broadband providers do not block IPTV technology. BBC iPlayer, NOW, Sky Stream, Freely and licensed IPTV services all work normally. Blocking targets specific servers identified as streaming content without permission.
Signs you are seeing a block
- Streams fail only during live matches, especially Premier League games.
- The service works on 4G or 5G or a different broadband provider, but not your own.
- Your provider shows no other faults, and other streaming apps work.
What to do
- If you use a licensed service (like ours) and cannot connect, it is almost certainly something else. Work through is IPTV down? and contact us.
- If you use an unlicensed service, the blocking is a sign of the bigger risks. See Is IPTV legal in the UK?
Further reading: Society for Computers and Law: FA Premier League v BT, the streaming block case explained.