IPTV on a Samsung or LG Smart TV in the UK: No Box Needed

If you bought a Samsung or LG TV in the last few years, you may not need a Firestick or box at all. Both brands have app stores with IPTV players, so you can watch British IPTV with nothing but the TV and its remote.

Check your TV first

Samsung TVs run Tizen and LG TVs run webOS. Most models from around 2018 onwards can install IPTV players. Press Home, open Apps (Samsung) or the LG Content Store (LG) and search for the player named in your welcome message. If it's there, you're good to go.

Two ways to activate

MAC address or device key

Some Smart TV players show a MAC address or device key when you first open them. Send that to us on WhatsApp and we link it to your subscription. When you reopen the app, the channel list appears.

Xtream Codes login

Other players ask for a login. Choose Xtream Codes, then enter the username, password and server URL from your welcome message.

Our Smart TV setup guide walks through both in six steps.

Getting the best picture on a TV app

• Connect the TV to the router with an Ethernet cable if possible. Most TVs have a port on the back.
• If you're on Wi-Fi, use the 5 GHz band.
• Turn off motion smoothing for sport if the picture looks unnatural.
• Switch the TV fully off occasionally (unplug for 30 seconds) to clear its memory.

When a stick or box is better

TV processors are designed to show a picture, not to run apps, and manufacturers stop updating apps on older models. If your TV is more than about five years old, menus feel sluggish, or the player keeps disappearing from the store, a £40-£60 Firestick will be quicker and more reliable. See our best IPTV box UK guide, or take IPTV with subscription for a 4K box that's already set up.

Keep reading

More from the British IPTV blog: Best IPTV Player Apps in the UK: TiviMate, Smarters & More.