Nine Challenges Faced When Using IPTV to Watch TV Contents in Developing Countries

Categorizing countries into developing and developed cadres depends on income per head. According to Fred W. Riggs, a professor well known for his works on Comparative Public Administration, developing countries share some characteristics that distinguish them from the world’s developed countries. However, in a real-life situation, every country is still developing. Some countries are in the high extreme of development while others are below or at the red line. Fred categorized societies into 3. 1. Fused(developing/3rd world) societies, 2. Prismatic societies, and 3. Diffracted societies. Today, we are discussing IPTV in developing countries concerning IPTV popularity in poor nations of the world. If you are still interested in Fred’s prismatic society theory, please grab any book on comparative p. Administration or read it up here.

IPTV in Developing Countries – Popularity of IPTV Services in Developing Countries

IPTV streaming is becoming more popular in developing countries compared to a few years ago. All thanks to the availability of “low resolution” IPTV channels on some official and unofficial IPTV services like showmax, xtream IPTV(unofficially), youtube videos, and so on.

It is not easy to use IPTV rationally in developing countries. Sometimes, we run at a loss watching channels on IPTV because we spend more on internet subscriptions than necessary.

Essential Characteristics of Developing Countries that Made Internet TV Streaming Difficult

Usually, if your country shares the following characteristics (like mine), then your country is poor, and IPTV popularity will be very low.

• Lower per-capita income
• High levels of poverty and under-nutrition (
• Higher population growth rates compared to the available resources. Nigeria is an excellent example of this.
• Low levels of industrialization. We still don’t have a 4g network in all state capitals of some countries, let alone having it everywhere.
• Low level of urbanization but rapid rural-to-urban migration: rural dwellers migrate to urban areas to overload the internet resources
• Finally, we also have a slow rate of technological development.

Lower per-capita income is the most significant determinant of development in a country. This doesn’t mean there are no rich people in developing countries. Nigeria, for example, has the biggest economy in Africa. However, that doesn’t make her the richest. Regarding per capita income, Nigeria is one of the poorest countries. I will use Nigeria as a case study in this write-up.

98% of premium IPTV users in Nigeria are either rich individuals, those using it occasionally or using it for commercial purposes(e.g. betting shops or soccer viewing lounges).

Especially relevant:

• is IPTV illegal? the case for and against it
• How to Watch IPTV Programs Directly form the Source or Safely as Individuals
• Major Differences between Premium Iptv & Free Iptv Packages

Nine Challenges Faced by People Using IPTV in Developing Countries

In this section, I will be explaining succinctly why even with the availability of 4G/LTE, most developing countries have still not accepted the innovation of IPTV entirely.

• Affordability of Internet subscription

The live blood of IPTV happens to be fast and stable internet. Also, your connection must be reliable. Sadly, cheap data subscriptions in developing countries have unreliable and slow internet speeds. However, the expensive ones like 9mobile, IPNX, Ntel, smile, etc, are fast.

It is difficult to pay for these bundles merely for IPTV purposes. In other words, you must pay for both the IPTV services and your internet plan. That will be one hardship too many for anyone from a poor country.

• Poverty and underdevelopment

Basically, it would be best if you got started with IPTV. Unlike FTA satellite packages, spending on IPTV services is a constant and continuous process. You continually need an internet data plan and must renew your subscription on or before every due date. Even using free IPTV, you must purchase a substantial data plan.

Poverty is one of the characteristics of developing countries. By extension, this means the money is not there. Consequently, many IPTV users will voluntarily use a free IPTV, that is, if they have good internet in the first place. Piracy sets in majorly as a result of poverty.

• Low level of Technological development

Developed nations already have established infrastructure and can roll out the latest technology. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of developing nations. The fastest internet happens to be fibre optic and ADSL broadband connection.  I doubt if we have a handful of this in most developing countries.

• Congestion of the Available Internet Facilities in the developing Nations

Many of us living in developing countries are already familiar with the term “peak and off-peak” periods. The peak period is the hours when everyone is on the network, and both data and voice call quality suffers. You experience a nightmarish experience trying to browse the internet during peak periods. On the contrary, off-peak periods are when you can get things done faster if you are on a slow network. Peak periods fall between work periods and when it is about bedtime. I can categorize this from 12 am to 5 am for off-peak periods and 8 am to 5 pm for the peak.

To work around this, you must upgrade your network to one that is not congested. You must pay more to get a better speed. This is also a challenge for most people in developing nations.

• Premium IPTV Sometimes Requires a Faster Internet

The stability and picture quality with 4k and HD channels attract many to paid IPTV. Therefore, it is unsurprising that this element requires a faster internet connection. Blazingly fast internet is often a luxury in developing states. While high video resolution and quality pictures are good for the developed/advanced countries of the world, it is a killjoy for us down here.

Only around 20% of Developing counties can boast of a good 4g/LTE Network. You can’t even get a 3G network in every location in a developing country. Conversely, some developed countries already have a 5G network.

In Nigeria, for example, although we already have 5g, the coverage of the existing 4g network is very inadequate. And, where available, the speed is slow.  Luckily, we now have Elon musk’s starlinks to compensate for this. Most ISP in developing countries throttles their internet speed. As if that is not enough, the 3g network in Nigeria is not reliable enough for consistent video streaming.

• There is no True unlimited data bundle in 95% of Developing Countries.

In reality, the ISPs will either impose their fair usage policies on you or throttle your speed so much so that it will be so difficult to open a mere webpage on your phone. Would a speed that couldn’t open a mobile page be able to stream videos? In your case, if you are a premium IPTV subscriber, it simply means you have been shortchanged on both ends. The so-called fair usage policy in Nigeria is so annoying.

• Most premium IPTV offers less content Compared To Free IPTV

People in developing countries also want to enjoy good things with the little they have. At least I know my people. In Nigeria, we want the best for less.

Free IPTV offers more content and sacrifices good quality and convenience. We are surely content with this since going premium might take more from us and give us less.

• Downtimes & Instability Of Available Fast Internet

It is so annoying when you subscribe to seemingly fast but unreliable internet. I have many subscribers who can afford the subscription.

However, the speeds fluctuate, and the videos buffer. This will most likely cause you to rethink when you want to renew your IPTV subscription. Your connection can drop from a 4g speed to a 2g within a minute.

• High Cost of a Good Premium IPTV Service

The better the service, the more you pay for the subscription. Let me use the service packages of Ancloud and Tiger as a case study. You cannot compare the efficiency and response time of ancloud IPTV acc/xtream account with that of tiger decoders. However, one is more expensive than the other. Also, before its demise, Qsat dqiptv offered the cheapest IPTV subscription ever.

IPTV in Developing countries: How you can Use IPTV Services Rationally in Poor Countries

In economics, a rational consumer is that whose behavior or decision-making process is based on making choices that result in the most optimal level of benefit or utility for the individual. However, not every consumer who derives utility from the consumption of a commodity is rational. This brings us to the issue of rationality vis-a-vis the consumption of IPTV service packages. Whether you are running at a loss or not, you may continue subscribing to a premium IPTV package for the following reasons:

Why Do People Still Use IPTV in Developing Countries?

• First, you can use IPTV even with little or no money if you illegally have access to free internet. For example, if you hack someone’s internet(e.g Wi-Fi pass). This is a terrible thing. It simply means someone is paying for your internet cost.
• Secondly, you may benefit from a vast data bundle from your Internet service provider. We currently have various data offers on all major ISPs in Nigeria. To qualify, all you need to do is to buy a new sim card.
• Similarly, you can get free and unlimited internet in some high-class hotels. Just make sure you got with your IPTV streaming device.
• Also, if you are obsessed with a particular program or content, you may spend on it regardless. I do waste a lot of money playing games online. I know I am burning cash but I can’t stop because I derive pleasure and satisfaction. Similarly, some are obsessed with movies, especially series. For others, it is all about p*rn movies. All these are the exception to the rules guiding premium IPTV usage in developing countries.
• Furthermore, you will surely do IPTV if you have authorized access to an unlimited and fast internet connection. For example, your house is close to a hotel, and your staff relative shares his login.
• You have unlimited internet due to a loophole from your ISP: This happens every now and gain. I have also been a beneficiary of this. However, it returns to square zero immediately after the loophole is patched.

How to Save Cost Using IPTV in Developing Countries

If your case is not listed among the exceptions above, the following points will help you save money if you are below or an average income earner from a developing country.

1. If, by your estimation, the amount you will be spending on IPTV will be more than what you will spend on satellite TV subscriptions, please let IPTV be.
2. Do you have a feeling that your Pay-TV provider is ripping you off?
3. Furthermore, if you are a traveler who rarely stays home to enjoy local channels, you can take your TV everywhere you go. Besides, if you travel so often and are not a commercial driver, you are not poor sir/ma.
4. Grab the opportunity you have if you have free access to unlimited internet. I am not encouraging hacking here. I will not cause pain and hardship to my brother, all in the name of enjoying IPTV. However, if you get it on a platter of gold, enjoy it.
5. Do not consider IPTV if you have a Poor and slow internet connection like 2G.
6. Avoid a premium IPTV if your internet connection is unstable or it is time-based.
7. Use your IPTV solution if you have a stable, fast, expensive, and limited internet subscription. Please do not get carried away. Use it only for the purpose for which it was acquired. For example, if you subscribe to IPTV to watch only soccer, ensure that is the only thing you do. Use other pay-tv subscriptions for other tv content.
8. Honestly, nobody should stop you if you are in love with a particular program not available locally and can afford to watch it via IPTV.