How much does IPTV cost in the UK? Real prices vs satellite, cable and streaming
By Callum Reid · Support lead at CosyTelly · 6 min read
IPTV in the UK costs between about £4 and £13 a month in 2026, paid once for three, six or twelve months. Our 12-month plan works out at £4.17 a month. A sports add-on from the biggest satellite provider is £33 a month on a 24-month contract, and the contract-free streaming version is £34.99. The gap is the whole reason people switch.
This is for anyone trying to work out what they’d actually pay, and what they’d actually save, before cancelling something. The pay-TV figures below come from the providers’ own price pages on the day I checked, 4 October 2026. They change, so treat them as the shape of the comparison rather than gospel.
How much does an IPTV subscription cost?
Ours, as an example of a normal UK provider: £25.99 for three months, £34.99 for six, £49.99 for twelve, each for one screen at a time. Two screens are £37.99, £57.99 and £89.99. Divide by the months and you get £8.66, £5.83 and £4.17 a month on one connection.
Two things matter more than the number. It’s a single payment, so nothing renews and nothing creeps up. And every plan includes the same thing: all channels, films and series, 4K where it’s broadcast, catch-up and the built-in VPN. There are no “packs” to add on later.
What does the same telly cost from satellite, cable and streaming?
The biggest satellite provider lists its basic TV package from £15 a month and its full package from £24, both on 24-month terms. Its sports add-on is £33 a month on contract or £35 rolling. Its film add-on is £14 on contract. The rival sports channel pack is £31 extra on a 31-day rolling basis. So the full package plus both sport add-ons, which is what a football fan needs to see every match, is £88 a month before broadband.
The main cable provider bundles TV with broadband. Its sport bundle starts at £52.99 a month and sport plus cinema at £62.99, both on 24-month contracts, including broadband. The contract-free streaming version of the satellite service is £7.99 a month for entertainment, £9.99 for films and £34.99 for sport, with a £14.99 day pass.
Add the TV licence to all of them if you watch live channels: £180 a year according to gov.uk, which is £15 a month. You need it for live TV however it arrives, so it’s a cost on both sides of the comparison.
Side by side: a year of sport and films
Someone who wants live football, the big fights, films and box sets, on one TV, for twelve months:
| Monthly | 12 months | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satellite: full TV package + both sport add-ons | £88 | £1,056 | 24 months |
| Streaming: entertainment + films + sport memberships | £52.97 | £635.64 | None |
| Cable: sport + cinema bundle | £62.99 | £755.88 | 24 months, includes broadband |
| CosyTelly 12-month plan, 1 connection | £4.17 | £49.99 | None, paid once |
The cable figure includes broadband, which the others don’t, so knock a broadband bill off it to compare fairly. Even then it isn’t close. The TV licence sits on top of every row.
What’s not in the IPTV price?
Being straight about this matters more than the saving. You need your own broadband, which you have anyway. You might buy a Firestick or a box if your TV can’t run a player app, a one-off cost. Some paid player apps charge a small fee to the app maker after a trial; the free ones don’t. And if you lose a channel on a Saturday, support is a WhatsApp message, not a call centre with an SLA.
What you also don’t get is the polish. The satellite box, its guide, its recordings. IPTV catch-up covers the last four days on supported channels, and that’s the trade.
Why is cheap IPTV sometimes too cheap?
Servers that hold a stream steady at 8pm on a Saturday cost money every month. A provider charging a few pounds for a whole year either has far too many people on each server, or doesn’t plan to be around for the whole year. The pattern we hear about most from people who come to us is a price that looked unbeatable, a service that was fine for six weeks, and a seller who stopped answering.
The honest test of any provider is not the price. It’s whether there’s a free trial you can run on a busy evening, a refund window long enough to find out, and a person who answers before you’ve paid. If those three aren’t there, the number doesn’t matter.
Key takeaways
- Expect £4 to £13 a month, paid in one go for 3, 6 or 12 months. Longer is cheaper per month.
- A full sport-and-films satellite setup is around £88 a month on a two-year contract. Streaming memberships are cheaper and contract-free but still over £50.
- The TV licence applies either way, £180 a year for live channels.
- Extras are one-off: a stick or box if you need one, maybe a paid app. Nothing monthly.
- Too cheap is a warning, not a bargain. Judge a provider by trial, refund window and whether a human answers.
Frequently asked questions
Is IPTV cheaper than satellite TV?
By a wide margin for sport. A satellite sports add-on alone is £33 a month on contract; a full year of IPTV on one screen is £49.99. For someone who only watches the basic channels at £15 a month, the gap is smaller but still there, and IPTV has no 24-month commitment.
Do I still need a TV licence with IPTV?
Yes, if you watch or record live TV on any service, or use the national broadcaster’s catch-up app. That’s gov.uk’s wording, and it covers live channels through an app the same as through a dish. It’s £180 a year.
Why do longer plans cost less per month?
Because a customer who stays a year costs less to serve than four customers who each stay three months. We pass that on. Three months is there for people who want a short commitment first, and the 30-day money-back guarantee covers the longer plans anyway.
Are there hidden fees?
No. The price on the plan is the price. The only costs that can appear are outside the subscription: a paid player app’s fee to its developer after a trial, or a device if your TV can’t run apps. Both are optional and both are one-off.
Can I pay monthly?
Not on a rolling basis, and that’s deliberate. Rolling payments are how prices creep up unnoticed. You pay for a block of months, it ends, and you decide again. If you want the smallest commitment, that’s the three-month plan.
What happens to the price when I renew?
Nothing. The plans are the plans. Message us with your username before the end date and we extend the same login at the same price, with nothing to reinstall.
Sources
- Satellite, cable and streaming prices: the providers’ own UK price pages, checked 4 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: TV Licence, the £180 fee and who needs one.
Next step
Compare the row that matches what you watch, then run a free 24-hour trial on a weekend evening before you cancel anything. The plans and prices above are the full list, and nothing on it renews.
Callum Reid · Support lead at CosyTelly
I'm Callum. I run support at CosyTelly, so if you've ever messaged us about a Firestick that won't sideload an app, or a picture that dropped five minutes before kick-off, there's a fair chance it was me on the other end. I've set this up… More about Callum
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