: The Development of IPTV in the UK.Over the last decade, the UK telecommunications base has changed significantly. No longer does the UK market have a strong presence of cable television services from companies such as Virgin Media. Today, UK internet TV providers have more prominence in the market as they are more flexible, cheaper, and easier to use. The main reason for this change is IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) technology which is changing the approach of how people watch television. In this article, we will go over the differences between watching TV through cable and through the internet, the reasons for the rising popularity of IPTV, and its impact on the future of entertainment in the UK. The Old Giants: UK Cable TV Providers For the longest time, UK cable TV providers such as Virgin Media and Sky were the most used services in virtually every household in the country. The providers assemble flexible TV service bundles, which often include broadband internet or even telephone services. Cable TV has always been a core component of British households as it offered a wide selection of channels including all the premium ones, such as Sky Sports and HBO.Traditional cable television, however, comes with its drawbacks. Customers mostly seem to get locked into strict viewing schedules, where they have to see the program as it is on air or buy very costly DVR services just to save on the recorded content. On top of that, cable TV services packages tend to be highly priced, with a lot of families spending.