We have created this help doc to explain the ins and outs of Video Streaming Services (IPTV apps) to help you avoid frustration.

TL;DR: #

Top Tier/Leading/Legal IPTV services like Netflix, Disney+, Prime, AppleTV, DSTV and ShowMax have highly developed Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and local caches, so reliable 4k and HDR content streams reliably when using the local instance of their service.

Other Gray Market IPTV apps/services that unlock every movie/series/live TV for free, or for a small fee, do not invest in high availability, high throughput networks or geographical spread of caches designed for South African users – so do not expect a reliable service.

Disclaimer: this is not legal advice. Please note that accessing and viewing pirated content, and/or using a VPN or DNS spoofing to circumvent geo-blocked licensed content may have serious legal consequences. This is covered by the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 and the Copyright Act. Here’s a MyBroadBand article that explains some of these concepts and another explaining circumventing geo-blocked licensed content. 

Official streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, DSTV, and ShowMax are legal streaming platforms that deliver licensed content for a subscription fee. They offer a wide range of movies, TV shows, documentaries, and other types of content that you can stream over the internet. They also invest heavily in their network infrastructure to deliver high-resolution video streaming services so that customers receive buffer-free high-quality video.

On the other hand, IPTV apps that sell devices or services that facilitate the streaming of digital content at a fraction of the cost of an official streaming service are most likely operating in an unauthorised manner, without proper licensing or permissions and is likely operating illegally, or providing access to content to which they are not authorised to distribute.

Here are some key differences:

1. Legality: IPTV services like Netflix, Disney+, Prime, AppleTV, DSTV, and ShowMax have secured licensing agreements with content creators and distributors. They operate within the legal framework and pay royalties to copyright holders for distributing the content. Free IPTV apps, especially those offering copyrighted content where they are not authorised to do so, are typically infringing on intellectual property rights and may have legal consequences for those who provide the content and for those who download the content.
2. Content Quality and Variety:  Official IPTV services curate high-quality content, including the latest movies, popular TV shows, and exclusive series. They often invest in producing their original programming. Free IPTV apps, however, may have a more limited selection, lower video quality, or multiple/unreliable sources for content, and can harm the entertainment industry because these services do not invest in content creation.
3. Reliability and Support: Official IPTV services have invested in building high availability, high throughput networks that make use of local, regional and international caching to provide a reliable streaming experience and also provide technical support. In contrast, free IPTV apps may rely on unverified sources, resulting in buffering, poor video quality, or even malware and security risks.
4. User Experience and Features: Official IPTV services invest in user-friendly interfaces, personalised recommendations, and additional features like multiple profiles, parental controls, and offline downloads. Free IPTV apps often lack these features, providing a more basic and less polished user experience.

When it comes to troubleshooting IPTV e.g. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, DSTV, ShowMax:

• Please check if other official streaming services are also buffering and try the service on multiple devices e.g. if your Netflix is buffering on your Samsung TV, see if it also buffers on your iPhone. If multiple streaming services are buffering from multiple devices there might be an issue with your WiFi or fibre line. Please follow the standard first-line checks.
• If you can test multiple streaming services e.g. Netflix and Disney+, and only 1 service is buffering on multiple devices, there could be a temporary issue that that streaming service. We can check with the networking community or the contacts for the local caches if there is anything wrong. You could also check the services network status page.
• If there is buffering on your TV but not the mobile app, try powering down the device that is buffering at the wall plug and leave it off for a few minutes before powering it back on.
• Check if you have a VPN active, try again with it disabled – we are unable to troubleshoot any traffic over a VPN.
• Check the streaming services help docs or reach out to their support for device-specific advice.

We can help troubleshoot fibre connections and WiFi issues, and we are happy to help with legal official services like Netflix, Disney+, Prime, AppleTV, DSTV, and ShowMax, if their support team or help documentation does not provide give you the answers you are looking for.

Happy streaming.