IPTV Glossary for Resellers: M3U, MAG, Panel, Credits

This IPTV glossary explains the words you will meet in your first weeks as a reseller, in plain language and in the order you are likely to need them. Keep it open while you set up your first lines, and share the customer side terms with anyone who asks what an M3U link or a MAC address is. Every entry is short on purpose. Where a topic needs more space, the entry links to a full guide.

Business terms

These are the words that describe how your reseller business works.

Credit

The unit you buy and spend. At iStream Central 1 credit pays for one customer month, and as of October 2026 one credit costs €3. A 12 month line therefore uses 12 credits. Our full guide to how reseller credits work covers the math.

Reseller panel

The web dashboard where you hold your credit balance and create, extend and look up customer lines. At iStream Central it is created automatically when you buy a reseller pack.

Line

One customer account, with its own username, password and end date. You create a line for each customer and choose its length.

Line length

How long a line runs before it needs renewing. The usual lengths are 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, and each uses the number of credits that matches its months.

Pack

A fixed number of credits bought in one order. At iStream Central packs from 100 credits include bonus credits, which lowers your price per credit to €2.31. The smallest first order is 20 credits for €60.

Renewal

Extending a line before or after it ends. A renewal takes credits in the same way as a new line.

End date

The day a line stops working unless it is renewed. It is the most useful date in your business, because it tells you when to remind a customer.

Sub-reseller

A reseller who buys credits from another reseller instead of from a store. Some panels let a reseller create sub-reseller accounts and sell credits onward at a markup. Not every panel offers this, so check what your own panel shows before you plan around it.

Margin

What you keep from a sale after the credit cost. If you sell a 1 month line at an example price of €9 and it costs you €3, your margin is €6.

Trial line

A short test line some panels let you create so a customer can try the setup before paying. Not every panel offers one, so check yours before you promise a trial.

Login terms

These are the details your customer types into an app or a box. They are the words customers ask about most, which is why this part of the IPTV glossary matters for support.

Portal address

The web address an app or box connects to. It is usually part of the login details you send and must be typed exactly, including any port number at the end.

Username and password

The two details that identify one line. They are case sensitive, so a capital letter typed as a small one will not work.

M3U link

A single web link that contains the whole playlist for a line, with the username and password built in. Many player apps accept it: the customer pastes one link and the app does the rest. Because the link includes the login, treat it like a password and never post it in public.

Xtream codes login

A login style used by many player apps, where the customer types three things: the portal address, the username and the password. It carries the same line as the M3U link, but apps that sign in this way can sort the on-demand library and the TV guide into neat sections.

MAG box

A brand of set-top box that connects to a TV and signs in with a portal address instead of a username and password. If you plan to support these boxes, check first that your panel offers lines for them.

MAC address

A unique code printed on a device such as a MAG box, made of six pairs of letters and numbers. Some boxes and apps are linked to a line by this code, so it must be copied exactly.

App and playback terms

The last part of this IPTV glossary covers what your customer sees on screen.

Player app

The app on the customer's device that plays the line. It is separate from the service: the app is made by its own developer, and some apps charge their own fee. Our guide to player apps for your customers describes the common ones neutrally.

EPG

Short for electronic program guide: the TV guide grid inside the app that shows what is on now and next. It loads in the background and can take a little while the first time.

Catch-up

A feature that lets a viewer go back to something that aired earlier, when the app and the line support it.

Connections

How many devices can use one line at the same time. If a customer wants to watch on two screens at once, the line must allow it.

Playlist refresh

Reloading the line in the app so it picks up changes. When a customer says something looks out of date, a refresh is often the first fix.

Using this glossary with customers

Most customer questions come down to three entries in this IPTV glossary:

• Login details: the portal address, username and password, or the M3U link.
• Player app: which app to install and where to type the details.
• Connections: how many screens can watch at the same time.

A short message that explains those three, written once and reused, saves you hours. You can even paste the matching IPTV glossary entries into it. Pair it with the setup notes for the two or three apps you recommend and you will answer most first week questions before they are asked.

Put the words to work

Once the terms in this IPTV glossary make sense, the business does too: buy credits, create lines, send clear login details and remind customers before the end date. See the packs and prices on the reseller page, or start with 20 credits and create your first line today.