Short answer: the licensed IPTV providers in the USA fall into three groups. Telco and cable TV (Verizon Fios TV, the remaining AT&T U-verse lines, Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox and small local fiber companies) depends on your street address. Internet live TV services (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Fubo, Sling, Philo, Frndly TV) work almost anywhere in the country. Free ad-supported channels (Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel and others) cost nothing. The catch is that most "IPTV provider" lists ranking on Google right now don't include a single one of these companies. They list unlicensed resellers instead.
At a glance
Licensed US IPTV, October 2026
| Telco TV still sold | Verizon Fios TV, from $70/mo |
| Telco TV closed to new sign-ups | AT&T U-verse, Frontier TV |
| Cheapest full national service | Sling Orange or Blue, $45.99 |
| Most complete national service | YouTube TV, $82.99 |
| Lowest paid price | Frndly TV, from $8.99 |
| Free and licensed | Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku Channel, Sling Freestream |
What counts as an IPTV provider
IPTV just means television delivered over an internet-protocol network rather than a broadcast signal or a traditional cable feed. That definition covers two very different businesses in the US.
The older one is the managed telco network: the phone or fiber company runs TV over its own lines into a set-top box it rents you. AT&T U-verse was the textbook example. The picture never touches the public internet, which is why it behaves like cable.
The newer one is TV over the open internet, which the industry calls a vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor). YouTube TV, Sling and the rest stream to an app on your TV, phone or streaming stick, and they work with any broadband connection.
Both kinds pay the networks for every channel they carry. That carriage deal is what makes them licensed, and it's also why they cost what they do. A full line-up with locals, ESPN and regional sports runs $80 to $100 a month because that's roughly what the channel owners charge distributors, plus margin. Keep that number in mind for later.
For the plumbing behind each model, see how IPTV works from broadcaster to screen.
Group 1: telco and cable IPTV
This is the group almost every listicle skips, probably because nobody earns an affiliate fee on it. It's also the only group where your address decides whether you can buy at all.
Verizon Fios TV
Fios is the biggest telco TV service still taking new customers, across parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic where Verizon has fiber. Strictly speaking, classic Fios TV sends its channels as a cable-style (QAM) signal over the fiber, and the newer Fios TV One box adds IP features on top. Most people call it IPTV anyway, and the experience is the same: a Verizon box, a Verizon remote, no app-hopping.
Verizon's published plans in early October 2026:
| Fios TV plan | Channels | Price/mo* |
|---|---|---|
| Fios TV: Local | 60 local | $70 |
| Fios TV Essentials | 125+ | $75 |
| Your Fios TV / Spotlight | 125+ (pick 5 favorites, or Paramount+ included) | $105 |
| Fios TV Test Drive | 425+ for 60 days, then a recommended plan | $105 |
| More Fios TV | 325+, basic DVR | $129 |
| The Most Fios TV | 425+, multi-room DVR, MGM+, Paramount+, Starz | $149 |
| Mundo TV / Mundo Total TV | 210+ / 225+, Spanish-language | $129 / $149 |
*Verizon shows two prices for each plan, about $10 apart, depending on Auto Pay and bundle discounts; the table uses the lower one. Verizon says the price has no broadcast or regional sports surcharges, which is a real advantage over cable. A first box is included, but you need a Verizon router for TV features and a $99 setup fee may apply. No annual contract.
Is it worth it? For a household that wants one remote and hates apps, yes. On price, no: The Most Fios TV costs nearly twice YouTube TV, and Verizon itself now markets YouTube TV on the same page at $82.99 (with an introductory discount for new subscribers).
AT&T U-verse (now DirecTV)
U-verse TV was pure IPTV, launched in 2006. It stopped taking new customers in April 2020 and passed to DirecTV when AT&T spun that business off in 2021. Existing customers still have it. If you call AT&T today, you'll be pointed at DirecTV's internet service instead.
Frontier (now part of Verizon)
Frontier stopped marketing its own TV service in 2021 and has offered YouTube TV with combined billing since 2023. Verizon completed its purchase of Frontier on 20 January 2026. Legacy Frontier TV customers are still served; new ones get YouTube TV.
Cable companies' IP services
Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox and Optimum are cable operators, but more and more of what they sell arrives over IP: streaming boxes instead of cable boxes, and apps such as Xfinity Stream and the Spectrum TV App that play your channels on a Roku or phone at home. These packages usually add broadcast TV and regional sports fees on top of the headline price, so read the checkout line by line.
Small fiber companies and co-ops
Dozens of regional telcos, rural co-ops and fiber builders run their own IPTV services, often on the same middleware the big companies use. Some are excellent and locally supported. Others have quietly stopped selling TV and now point customers to YouTube TV, as Frontier did. The only way to know is to check your own address on the provider's site. Our guide to which TV services depend on your address walks through that check.
Where satellite fits
DirecTV and DISH satellite aren't IPTV: the channels come down from a dish. They're licensed, though, and both companies now lean on internet delivery. DirecTV sells the same channel packages over the internet with no dish (it's in Group 2 below), and DISH's parent company, EchoStar, owns Sling TV. If you're in a rental where you can't mount a dish, the internet version of DirecTV is the like-for-like swap.
One practical difference between Group 1 and everything else: telco and cable TV keeps working when your broadband is congested, because it runs on capacity the operator reserves for video. Internet services share your connection with everything else in the house. On a 300 Mbps plan that rarely matters. On a slow DSL or fixed-wireless line, it can be the deciding factor, and it's a fair reason to stay with a telco package even when the app services are cheaper.
Group 2: national live TV services
These are the providers most people mean by "IPTV in the USA" today. All are month to month, all run on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV and most smart TVs, and all carry licensed channels. Regular prices as published in early October 2026:
| Service | Regular price/mo | Locals (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) | Streams | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | $82.99 (Sports + News $71.99; Sports $64.99) | Yes, most markets | 3 (unlimited at home with 4K Plus, $9.99) | Most complete line-up, unlimited DVR |
| Hulu + Live TV | $99.99 ($109.99 without ads) | Yes, most markets | 2 standard | Includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Select |
| DirecTV (via internet) | Entertainment from $89.99 | Yes | Varies by plan | Regional sports networks |
| Fubo | About $85-90, varies by plan | Yes, most markets | Varies by plan | Sports, international soccer |
| Sling TV | Orange or Blue $45.99; both $60.99 | Blue only, select markets | 1 (Orange) to 3 (Blue) | ESPN or cable news on a budget |
| Philo | $25 (Essential) / $33 (Bundle+) | No | 3 | Entertainment, no sports |
| Frndly TV | $8.99 / $10.99 / $12.99 | No | 1 / 2 / 4 | Hallmark, family viewing |
A few things the price column doesn't show:
Promotions are everywhere. In October 2026, YouTube TV advertises its Sports + News plan at $49.99 for the first five months, Hulu + Live TV is $49.99 for the first month, and DirecTV is running football offers from $59.99. Budget on the regular price.
Regional sports fees apply on DirecTV and Fubo in many ZIP codes and only show up at checkout.
Ownership has consolidated. Disney took a controlling stake in Fubo and combined it with Hulu + Live TV's business in late 2025, though the two still sell separately. Sling now also sells cheaper Essentials and Select tiers from $19.99.
We've ranked these by what a full year really costs, add-ons and fees included, in best IPTV providers in the USA by annual cost, so we won't repeat that here.
Group 3: free licensed channels
Free ad-supported streaming TV (the industry says FAST) is IPTV too, and it's fully licensed: the channel owners are paid from the ads. None of these needs a subscription:
| Service | How to get it | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Pluto TV | App on most devices, web | Owned by Paramount; strong on reruns and news |
| Tubi | App, web | Owned by FOX; huge on-demand library plus live channels |
| The Roku Channel | Built into Roku, app elsewhere | Some live local news |
| Samsung TV Plus | Built into Samsung TVs and phones | Only on Samsung hardware |
| Sling Freestream | Sling app, no card needed | 600+ channels and a free DVR |
| Philo free channels | Philo app, no card needed | Recordings expire after 30 days |
What free can't give you: ESPN, most live sports, or the big four networks in full. Add a $30 indoor antenna and you get ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS where there's signal. Plenty of households stop there.
The full list in one table
| Provider | Type | Can new customers sign up? | Depends on address? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Fios TV | Telco (fiber) | Yes | Yes, Fios areas only |
| AT&T U-verse TV | Telco IPTV | No (since 2020) | Yes |
| Frontier TV | Telco | No; sells YouTube TV | Yes |
| Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, Optimum | Cable with IP apps and boxes | Yes | Yes |
| Local fiber and co-op TV | Telco IPTV | Varies | Yes |
| YouTube TV | Internet live TV | Yes | Locals vary by market |
| Hulu + Live TV | Internet live TV | Yes | Locals vary by market |
| DirecTV (via internet) | Internet live TV | Yes | Locals and sports fee vary |
| Fubo | Internet live TV | Yes | Locals and sports fee vary |
| Sling TV | Internet live TV | Yes | Locals only in some markets |
| Philo | Internet live TV | Yes | No |
| Frndly TV | Internet live TV | Yes | No |
| Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Sling Freestream | Free (FAST) | Yes | No |
How to tell a provider is licensed
Search "IPTV providers USA" and most of page one is sites selling 20,000 channels for $15 a month, often hosted on blogging platforms or the sellers' own domains. None of them appear in the tables above, and that's deliberate. A licensed service pays the networks per subscriber. At $15 a month for every US network plus premium channels and sports, the numbers don't work, so those channels aren't being paid for.
That matters to you for practical reasons as much as legal ones. Unlicensed services get shut down, their apps get blocked on Fire TV and Roku, and a prepaid year disappears with them. Quick checks:
- Is it in the official app stores (Roku, Amazon, Apple, Google Play) under the company's own name? Every licensed provider above is.
- Does it name a real company with a US address and terms of service?
- Does it take normal card payments with a monthly plan, rather than pushing crypto, gift cards or a 12-month prepay?
- Is the price plausible? Locals plus ESPN under about $40 a month is a red flag.
- Does it tell you to use a VPN? Licensed services don't need one at home.
Our checklist for judging an IPTV service before you pay goes deeper.
Which group fits your household
You want one box and one bill, and you live in a Fios area. Fios TV is the last big telco service built for that. Pay for the cheapest plan that holds your channels; Test Drive is a sensible way to find out which that is.
You want everything, including local sports. YouTube TV for most people; DirecTV or Fubo if your regional sports network matters more than the bill.
You want cable news or ESPN and don't care about locals. Sling Orange or Blue plus an antenna.
You mostly watch lifestyle and reality TV. Philo or Frndly TV, plus the free services.
Your bill is the problem. Start free, add one paid service in the months you actually watch, and cancel in between. If your internet provider bundles a streaming service, see getting IPTV through your phone or internet provider before paying full price elsewhere.
Quick answers
Who are the licensed IPTV providers in the USA? Telco and cable companies (Verizon Fios TV, Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, Optimum and local fiber providers), national internet live TV services (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Fubo, Sling TV, Philo, Frndly TV) and free ad-supported services such as Pluto TV, Tubi and The Roku Channel.
Is Verizon Fios TV IPTV? Partly. Classic Fios TV channels travel over Verizon's fiber as a cable-style signal, while the Fios TV One box adds IP features. It is sold and used like any managed IPTV service, with plans from $70 a month in October 2026.
Can I still get AT&T U-verse TV? No. U-verse TV closed to new customers in April 2020 and is now run by DirecTV for existing subscribers. New customers are offered DirecTV's internet service.
Does Frontier still sell TV? Not its own. Frontier stopped marketing TV in 2021 and now offers YouTube TV with combined billing. Verizon completed its purchase of Frontier in January 2026.
What is the cheapest licensed IPTV provider? The free services cost nothing. The cheapest paid one is Frndly TV at $8.99 a month; the cheapest with ESPN is Sling Orange at $45.99.
Which IPTV provider has local channels? YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and Fubo carry ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in most markets. Sling Blue has some. Philo and Frndly TV have none, so pair them with an antenna.
Are $15-a-month IPTV providers legal? Almost never. A full US line-up costs licensed distributors far more than that per subscriber, so a service at that price is not paying for its channels, and such services are regularly shut down.
Prices are regular published rates seen on providers' sites in early October 2026 and exclude taxes, promotions and location-based fees. Telco availability changes street by street, and services are sold, merged and repriced often. Confirm the final price with your own ZIP code. Checked October 2026.