Short answer: there's no single licensed IPTV service in the US that does every Indian language well, so pick by the language your household actually watches. Hindi is the easy one, with Sling's Hindi packs and YuppTV both carrying the big networks. Telugu and Malayalam are YuppTV's strongest ground. Tamil splits between Sun Group (Sun NXT, Sling Dakshin) and Star Vijay (YuppTV). Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi and Gujarati viewers usually get more for less from one language-specific app than from a big live bundle.
At a glance
Indian channels by language
| Hindi | Sling Hindi packs or YuppTV |
| Telugu, Malayalam | YuppTV first |
| Tamil, Kannada | Depends on Sun TV vs Star/Zee |
| Bengali, Marathi | YuppTV live, or an on-demand app |
| Punjabi, Gujarati | Thin live choice; apps do better |
| Avoid | "Every language, $10 a month" boxes |
Why language beats channel count
Most "Indian IPTV" ads lead with a number: 500 channels, 1,000 channels. That number tells you nothing useful. A Telugu family needs Star Maa, ETV and Zee Telugu, and 400 Hindi and Urdu channels don't help them.
The second thing to know is that regional channels in India belong to a handful of networks, and each network sells its US rights separately:
- Star (now JioStar): Star Plus, Star Vijay (Tamil), Star Maa (Telugu), Asianet (Malayalam), Star Suvarna (Kannada), Star Jalsha (Bengali), Star Pravah (Marathi).
- Zee: Zee TV, Zee Tamil, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada, Zee Bangla, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi.
- Colors (Viacom18 lineage): Colors, Colors Tamil, Colors Kannada, Colors Bangla, Colors Marathi, Colors Gujarati.
- Sun Group: Sun TV (Tamil), Gemini (Telugu), Surya (Malayalam), Udaya (Kannada).
- Independents: ETV (Telugu), Mazhavil Manorama and Flowers (Malayalam), PTC (Punjabi), plus dozens of news channels.
So the question for each language is really: which networks does your family watch, and who holds those networks in the US? That's what the rest of this guide answers. If you want the shorter, Hindi-centric version, our guide to Indian streaming services by network covers it.
The master table: nine languages
"Live" means a licensed service streaming the channel on its schedule. "On demand" means an app with the shows and films, usually a day or so after broadcast, but no live feed. Channel lists are from each service's own listings as of October 2026 and change at contract renewals.
| Language | Channels people ask for | Best live option | Cheaper on-demand route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hindi | Star Plus, Zee TV, Colors, Sony SET, SAB | Sling Hindi packs; YuppTV | ZEE5, SonyLIV, Hulu/Disney+ for Star titles |
| Tamil | Sun TV, Star Vijay, Zee Tamil, Colors Tamil | Sling Dakshin (Sun); YuppTV (Vijay) | Sun NXT, Aha Tamil |
| Telugu | Star Maa, ETV, Zee Telugu, Gemini | YuppTV | Aha, ETV Win, Sun NXT |
| Malayalam | Asianet, Mazhavil Manorama, Flowers, Surya | YuppTV | Manorama Max, Sun NXT |
| Kannada | Zee Kannada, Colors Kannada, Udaya, Star Suvarna | YuppTV (Zee, Colors); Sling Dakshin (Udaya) | ZEE5, Sun NXT |
| Bengali | Star Jalsha, Zee Bangla, Colors Bangla | YuppTV; Sling Bangla pack | Hoichoi, ZEE5 |
| Marathi | Star Pravah, Zee Marathi, Colors Marathi | YuppTV; Sling Marathi pack | ZEE5, Planet Marathi |
| Punjabi | PTC Punjabi, Zee Punjabi, 9X Tashan | Sling Punjabi pack; YuppTV (partial) | Chaupal, PTC Play |
| Gujarati | Colors Gujarati, TV9 Gujarati | YuppTV (a few channels) | ShemarooMe |
Two patterns jump out. YuppTV appears in almost every row, because it buys rights language by language and has done so for over a decade. And for the smaller languages, the live column gets thin fast, while the on-demand column stays healthy.
Hindi
Hindi is the only language where you have a genuine choice between two strong live services.
Sling's Hindi packs are sold on their own, with no English base plan required, and have carried Zee TV, &TV, Sony SET, SAB, Colors (branded Aapka Colors) and Hindi news including Aaj Tak and India Today. Star Plus joined Sling's Indian line-up in late 2023. The pack names and exact contents have shifted with each contract renewal, so open the current list on sling.com before paying.
YuppTV lists Star Plus, Star Bharat, Colors, Zee TV, &TV, Zee Cinema and a long run of Hindi news channels (NDTV India, Republic, TV9 Bharatvarsh, Zee News) in its app store description. Its catch-up feature, where you can go back through the last few days of a channel's schedule, is the reason many families choose it for Indian prime-time serials that air during the US morning.
If your family follows one network's serials and nothing else, skip both and buy that network's app. ZEE5 for Zee shows, SonyLIV for Sony. It's cheaper and the archive is deeper. Our Sling Desi review goes through the Hindi packs in detail.
Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada
South Indian households have the most at stake in this choice, because the two big live services cover different networks.
Tamil. The split here is Sun TV versus Star Vijay. Sling's Dakshin packs are built around the Sun Group (Sun TV, Gemini, Surya, Udaya plus Sun's music, comedy and movie channels), and Sling added Vijay TV through its Disney Star deal in November 2023. YuppTV's Tamil list leans the other way: Star Vijay, Colors Tamil and Tamil news (Puthiya Thalaimurai, Thanthi, Polimer) but no Sun TV. If grandma watches Sun TV serials, Sling or Sun NXT. If it's Vijay's reality shows, YuppTV.
Telugu. YuppTV is the clear first stop. Its Telugu line-up is the longest of any language in the app: Star Maa and its movie and music spin-offs, Zee Telugu, the ETV family (ETV, ETV Plus, ETV Cinema, ETV Life) and more than twenty Telugu news and devotional channels including TV9 Telugu, NTV, TV5 and SVBC. Gemini TV is the gap; that's Sun Group, so it sits with Sling Dakshin and Sun NXT. For on-demand, Aha is the Telugu-first app most people mean, and ETV Win carries ETV's own shows.
Malayalam. YuppTV again: Asianet, Asianet Plus, Mazhavil Manorama, Flowers and news channels such as Asianet News, Mathrubhumi News and Reporter. Surya TV is Sun Group. Manorama Max is the on-demand app for Mazhavil Manorama's serials.
Kannada. The awkward one. Zee Kannada and Colors Kannada show up on YuppTV, Udaya TV on Sling Dakshin, and Star Suvarna joined Sling in the 2023 Disney Star deal. Kannada households that watch across networks often end up paying for two services or settling for one network's app.
On price: Sling listed its Dakshin pack at $20 a month and Dakshin Mega at $25 a month when it added the Disney Star channels in November 2023, with annual prepay options below that. Treat those as a starting point and check the current figure. Our YuppTV review covers its plans and the device activation fees it charges in its own app.
Bengali and Marathi
Both languages have one dominant network trio (Star, Zee, Colors), which makes the choice simpler than in the south.
Bengali. YuppTV lists Star Jalsha, Zee Bangla, Colors Bangla and a few music and news channels. Sling has sold a Bangla pack for years, with Star Jalsha added in its 2023 deal. If your family wants shows rather than live channels, Hoichoi is the Bengali-only streaming app from SVF, strong on films and web series rather than daily serials. ZEE5 covers Zee Bangla's serials.
Marathi. YuppTV lists Star Pravah, Zee Marathi, Colors Marathi, Zee 24 Taas, TV9 Marathi and Saam. Sling has offered a Marathi pack, and Star Pravah was named in the 2023 additions. On demand, ZEE5 handles Zee Marathi shows and Planet Marathi focuses on Marathi films and originals.
For either language, live TV only matters if someone watches daily serials or news in real time. If the household mostly watches films and the occasional series, a single on-demand app is the cheaper answer.
Punjabi and Gujarati
These two languages have large US communities and surprisingly thin licensed live options.
Punjabi. Sling has sold a Punjabi pack (earlier it was a "Punjabi Extra" add-on), and YuppTV lists Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, 9X Tashan, Pitaara and Prime Asia. PTC Punjabi, the channel most Punjabi families ask for, runs its own subscription app, PTC Play, and PTC channels have also been carried by satellite and cable providers in some markets. Chaupal is the newer on-demand app for Punjabi (and Haryanvi and Bhojpuri) films and series. Gurbani and kirtan channels show up across several services; check that the one your family wants is in the specific pack.
Gujarati. YuppTV lists Colors Gujarati, TV9 Gujarati and a couple of smaller channels. That's about it for live. ShemarooMe has the largest Gujarati film and drama library of the US-available apps and is what most Gujarati households end up with.
Two languages under one roof
Many households are mixed: a Telugu-speaking grandparent, Hindi-speaking parents, kids who mostly watch English. A few rules keep the bill sane.
- Start with the language of the person who watches most TV, usually the grandparent at home during the day. Buy the live service that covers their networks best.
- Cover the second language with an app, not another live bundle. A $5 to $10 on-demand app usually beats a second live pack.
- Check for overlap. YuppTV's multi-language packs and Sling's Mega tiers sometimes include a second language you were about to pay for separately.
- Cricket is its own line item. Neither language packs nor on-demand apps include international cricket as standard. Willow is the main US rights holder; see Willow vs ESPN+ for cricket.
A typical Hindi-plus-Telugu home might run YuppTV for Telugu live channels and ZEE5 or SonyLIV for the Hindi serials, rather than paying for both a Sling Hindi pack and a YuppTV pack.
How to check an offer before paying
Search "IPTV for Indian channels" and most of the first page is paid posts for sellers that promise every channel in every language for a flat fee. Here's how they compare with licensed services.
| Check | Licensed service | Grey-market seller |
|---|---|---|
| Where the app comes from | Roku, Amazon, Apple, Google stores | A download link or a "player" plus login |
| Networks covered | Gaps, because rights are bought one by one | Everything, every language, plus IPL |
| Payment | Card or app-store billing to a named company | Zelle, crypto, gift cards, WhatsApp invoice |
| If it stops working | Support, refunds, card disputes | The seller disappears |
The gaps are the giveaway. A licensed service can't carry every network, because Sun, Star, Zee and Colors each negotiate separately. An offer with no gaps hasn't negotiated with anyone. More warning signs in how to spot an IPTV scam.
Quick answers
Which IPTV service has the most Indian languages? YuppTV lists channels in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati and Urdu, which is the widest licensed spread in the US.
Where can I watch Sun TV live in the USA? Through Sling's Dakshin packs, which are built around Sun Group channels, or Sun Group's own Sun NXT app.
Where can I watch Star Maa or ETV in the US? YuppTV lists both Star Maa and the ETV channel family for US viewers.
Is there a licensed service for Bengali channels? Yes. YuppTV lists Star Jalsha, Zee Bangla and Colors Bangla, and Sling has sold a Bangla pack. Hoichoi covers Bengali films and series on demand.
What's the best option for Punjabi TV? Sling's Punjabi pack or YuppTV for live channels, PTC Play for PTC's channels, and Chaupal for films and series.
What about Gujarati? Live choice is limited to a few channels on YuppTV. ShemarooMe is the main on-demand library.
Do I need a special box? No. All of these services run as apps on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV and most smart TVs.
Channel line-ups are taken from each service's published listings and change whenever a network renews or drops its US deal; some Sling prices quoted date from late 2023 and are marked as such. Check the current channel list for your language before subscribing. Checked October 2026.