Which channels come with IPTV?

What channel categories does IPTV usually include?

Most services sort their lineup into the same broad groups. This is what each group tends to hold in a subscription aimed at Canadians:

Lineups are usually organized by country first, then by category, so a newcomer from Punjab or Portugal can jump straight to a familiar group. Many entertainment channels also come as an Eastern and a Western feed, which lets a viewer in Vancouver catch the 8 p.m. show at 8 p.m. local time instead of 5 p.m.

Do you get all channels with IPTV?

No. No IPTV service, cable company or app carries every channel there is, and any seller who claims otherwise deserves suspicion. Three things limit every lineup:

• Channels come and go. Networks launch, merge, rebrand and close, and lineups shift with them.
• Some shows never air on a channel. Certain games, series and events stream only inside one official app and never appear as a regular TV channel anywhere.
• Big totals include repeats. A count in the tens of thousands usually includes one channel in several qualities (SD, HD, 4K), separate East and West feeds, backup streams and channels from dozens of countries.

Sports deserve an extra look. Canadian hockey, for example, is split between national broadcasts, regional channels and streaming-only games, so a sports channel in the list does not mean every game you want will be on it. Look up your team's schedule during a trial and see where each game airs.

So the useful question is not "how many channels?" but "are my channels there, in good quality, at the hours I watch?" A family that watches eight channels gets no benefit from the other few thousand except choice.

What else comes with an IPTV subscription?

Live channels are only part of the package. Most subscriptions also include:

• A video-on-demand section with films and complete seasons you can start at any time.
• A TV guide (EPG) with the schedule for each channel; see what the guide shows and where it comes from.
• Catch-up on supported channels, to replay something from earlier this week.
• Several quality versions of popular channels, so you can drop to a lighter stream when the Wi-Fi struggles.
• More than one screen, depending on the plan you choose.

What you do not get are the streaming apps themselves. Netflix, Crave and similar services are separate subscriptions that sign in through their own apps, not through an IPTV player.

How can you check the channels before you pay?

Do a short test with your own list. It takes about 20 minutes and saves a lot of disappointment.

1. Write down the ten channels or events your household watches most.
2. Read the provider's channel page, or ask support to look each one up for you.
3. Get a trial and search them yourself at the hour you normally watch. Evening news and a live game are the real test.
4. Make sure program times in the guide match your local clock.

King IPTV shows its lineup by category on the King IPTV channel list: the lineup counts 50,000+ live channels, the on-demand side 190,000+ titles, and the groups include Canadian English and French channels, sports, news, kids and international. There are two packages: Full Channels, or English Channels Only for a shorter list. For specific interests, read about French-language channels on IPTV and watching live sports on IPTV, then run your list through a free trial day.