Virgin are twats for closing down access to torrent sites, so have been using a free VPN for a couple of years.I've had an iptv sub for 4 or 5 years now, and have never used a vpn.
I think a lot depends on your broadband provider. I'm with plusnet, and have never had an issue. Couple of mates who are with sky broadband need to use a vpn, even though we have the same iptv service.