Lenka Hrivnáková, Author at The Association of Commercial Television

CANAL+ AND LALIGA SIGN ANTI-PIRACY ALLIANCE COVERING 50 COUNTRIES

CANAL+ and LALIGA have signed a strategic anti-piracy agreement covering almost 50 countries across Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, expanding their long-standing commercial relationship into a coordinated effort to combat illegal sports streaming.

The agreement will see the broadcaster and the Spanish football league share intelligence, coordinate enforcement strategies and combine technology and operational expertise to tackle piracy networks operating across multiple territories.

The partnership builds on CANAL+’s long-standing distribution of LALIGA competitions in France, Europe, Africa and Haiti, but extends cooperation beyond media rights into the protection of sports content.

Both organisations said piracy has become one of the biggest threats to the sports industry, reducing revenues that support clubs, youth development and investment in broadcast production. They also warned that illegal streaming services expose consumers to risks including malware, fraud and personal data theft.

Maxime Saada, chief executive of CANAL+, said the scale of the agreement reflected the importance the company places on tackling content piracy. He added combining the organisations’ expertise would strengthen enforcement capabilities and called on the wider sports and audiovisual industries to take similar action.

LALIGA president Javier Tebas said piracy could not be tackled by individual organisations acting alone. He said the partnership would combine technology, intelligence and operational expertise to protect the value of the league’s competitions, broadcasters’ investments and the long-term sustainability of football.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com

PRŮZKUM: ČEŠI NEVNÍMAJÍ REKLAMU JAKO HLAVNÍ FAKTOR SPOTŘEBY ALKOHOLU

Většina Čechů se domnívá, že reklama nemá zásadní vliv na množství vypitého alkoholu. Za největší problémy spojené s alkoholem považují řízení pod vlivem, prodej alkoholu nezletilým a nedostatečné vymáhání platných pravidel. Vyplývá to z průzkumu agentury Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu.

Většina Čechů si nemyslí, že reklama zásadně ovlivňuje množství vypitého alkoholu. Za největší problémy spojené s alkoholem naopak považují řízení pod vlivem a prodej alkoholu nezletilým. Vyplývá to z průzkumu agentury Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu, který zjišťoval postoje veřejnosti ke konzumaci alkoholu, regulaci a samoregulaci reklamy.

Podle výsledků průzkumu považuje polovina respondentů vliv reklamy na množství zkonzumovaného alkoholu za nulový nebo pouze nepatrný. Pouze šest procent dotázaných označilo reklamu za rozhodující faktor ovlivňující spotřebu alkoholu.

Průzkum zároveň ukázal, že veřejnost za nejzávažnější problémy spojené s alkoholem považuje především rizikové chování a nedodržování stávajících pravidel. Za závažný problém označilo 92 % respondentů řízení pod vlivem alkoholu. Následuje prodej alkoholu osobám mladším 18 let a nadměrná konzumace alkoholu, které jako problematické vnímá shodně 87 % dotázaných. Konzumaci alkoholu nezletilými považuje za závažný problém 85 % respondentů a nedostatečnou kontrolu dodržování zákonů při prodeji alkoholu 82 %.

Tomu odpovídají i preference navrhovaných opatření. Největší podporu získaly častější policejní kontroly řidičů zaměřené na alkohol, které by uvítalo 42 % respondentů. Dále lidé podporují důslednější kontroly prodeje alkoholu nezletilým a přísnější postihy za porušování pravidel v této oblasti, obě opatření podpořilo 38 % dotázaných.

Pokud by se stát měl zaměřit pouze na jednu oblast, třetina respondentů by upřednostnila zpřísnění postihů za řízení pod vlivem alkoholu a častější namátkové kontroly. Dalších 25 % by se soustředilo na důslednější vymáhání pravidel při prodeji alkoholu nezletilým. Omezení reklamy na alkohol označilo za prioritu přibližně deset procent dotázaných.

Průzkum se zaměřil také na samoregulaci reklamy. Za smysluplný nástroj pro nastavování a kontrolu pravidel ji označilo 55 % respondentů. V oblasti reklamy na alkohol funguje samoregulace vedle zákonných pravidel a podle Rady pro reklamu umožňuje nastavovat přísnější standardy, než jaké vyžaduje legislativa.

Zdroj: Průzkum „Regulace konzumace alkoholu“, Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu, srpen 2026, 1042 respondentů

Zdroj: Průzkum „Regulace konzumace alkoholu“, Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu, srpen 2026, 1042 respondentů

Zdroj: Průzkum „Regulace konzumace alkoholu“, Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu, srpen 2026, 1042 respondentů

Zdroj: Průzkum „Regulace konzumace alkoholu“, Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu, srpen 2026, 1042 respondentů

Průzkum agentury Ipsos pro Radu pro reklamu byl realizován v srpnu 2026 na vzorku 1042 respondentů. Je ke stažení zde.

Zdroj: mediaguru.cz

CZECHS WANT CERTAINTY ABOVE ALL ELSE FROM AI. SIX OUT OF TEN USERS HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF THE OUTPUTS

Around two-thirds of adult Czechs currently use artificial intelligence. Although most of them have a positive attitude towards it, the question remains as to how much they can trust its answers. According to a survey by the STEM/MARK agency, 60 per cent of AI users are unsure whether the output they receive from the tool is actually correct. According to the survey results, users would therefore appreciate it if AI could distinguish more clearly between verified information, estimates and situations where it is simply unsure.

According to the research, 85 per cent of AI users have a positive attitude towards it. They also use it more frequently and for a wider range of tasks, such as searching for information, obtaining practical advice, translations, generating images or working with technical information. Conversely, people with a negative attitude towards AI use it less frequently and for a narrower range of activities.

Trust is not just a matter of satisfaction

Doubts about the accuracy of answers are not, however, a problem exclusive to those who have a negative attitude towards artificial intelligence. 61 per cent of users with a positive attitude towards AI lack confidence that they can trust the AI’s output. Among users with a negative attitude, the figure is 52 per cent.

The link between trust and satisfaction is also interesting. The need for certainty regarding accuracy is cited more frequently by people who are satisfied with AI outputs. The answer may therefore be useful and well-formulated for the user, yet they may still be unsure whether the information it contains is correct. According to STEM/MARK, satisfaction decreases more significantly only when doubts about credibility are combined with the use of out-of-date data.

Users want to know where the answer comes from

The survey results also point to a desire for greater transparency. According to STEM/MARK, it would help users, for example, to be able to distinguish whether the AI has taken the information from a source, calculated it, derived it from available data, or whether it is general knowledge or merely an estimate. It is also important to know the time period to which the answer relates and how up-to-date the data used is.

It is precisely the ability to acknowledge uncertainty that may be one way of strengthening trust in AI. However, estimating uncertainty is not the same as verifying truthfulness. Language models are primarily trained to generate responses that match the prompt and are useful and plausible to the user. This does not, in itself, mean that they are factually correct.

Critical assessment of the outputs therefore remains, for the time being, the responsibility of the person using the AI. Verifying information and the ability to recognise potential errors therefore remain an important part of working with artificial intelligence tools.

The STEM/MARK survey was conducted in July 2026 via an online questionnaire on the National Sample panel. It involved 506 participants representing the internet population aged 18 and over, stratified by gender, age, education, region and size of place of residence.

Source: mam.cz

IRDETO AND CHAINALYSIS STRENGTHEN ANTI-PIRACY PARTNERSHIP

Irdeto and blockchain data specialist Chainalysis are strengthening their partnership to tackle digital piracy and cryptocurrency-enabled cybercrime.

The companies are combining blockchain intelligence, payment disruption and international law enforcement coordination to target pirate IPTV, streaming and gaming operations.

Irdeto says its Cyber Services team can use Chainalysis Reactor to trace cryptocurrency transactions, identify exchange cash-out points and map financial links between pirate operators.

The partnership contributed to a Europol-led operation in November 2025 involving law enforcement agencies from more than 15 European countries. It identified 69 piracy-related sites, traced around $55 million (€46.9 million) in cryptocurrency transactions and referred 25 illicit IPTV services to major cryptocurrency exchanges for disruption.

Irdeto says its investigations over the past year indicate that cryptocurrency now represents around 20% of payment methods offered by digital pirates.

Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto, said cryptocurrency has become central to the increasingly sophisticated criminal piracy business, adding that the partnership enables investigators to “follow the money” and expose the networks behind these operations.

Chainalysis says blockchain transactions are highly traceable when investigators have the appropriate tools, allowing suspicious transaction patterns and wallets linked to illicit activity to be identified.

The companies say their collaboration is aimed at helping rights holders, broadcasters, sports leagues and streaming platforms disrupt pirate businesses at both their operational and financial levels.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER—AND FOR HOW LONG—NOVA REMAINS ON TERRESTRIAL TV

Nova Media Group closely monitors technological developments and the market shares of individual television platforms. It reviews the situation every six months. In an interview with MediaGuru.cz, TV Nova CEO Daniel Grunt also discusses the current position of the Oneplay service and its near-term development.

Terrestrial television broadcasting remains an important part of the distribution strategy for Nova Group, although its significance has been declining over the long term. TV Nova CEO Daniel Grunt told MediaGuru.cz that the company continuously evaluates developments in the share of terrestrial distribution and will use this as the basis for deciding on any future changes. At present, Nova has no plans to change either its distribution model or the way its Oneplay streaming service operates. Instead, it intends to continue developing Oneplay primarily through content, technological improvements and enhancements to the user experience. At the same time, Grunt acknowledges that if the importance of free-to-air broadcasting continues to decline, new approaches to content may also become an option in the future. “Everything will depend on how quickly the importance of terrestrial broadcasting declines,” he says.

Can you disclose how long your distribution agreement with České Radiokomunikace for broadcasting your channels terrestrially runs for? Unless it is confidential, how long is the agreement that came into effect sometime in 2020 or 2021?

I’m afraid that is commercially confidential, so I can’t comment on it.

I’m asking because you will certainly have noticed the major distribution change that your direct competitor, Prima Group, is planning. Does Nova have a plan for how terrestrial broadcasting will develop going forward?

The plan is very simple. It depends on the weight terrestrial broadcasting carries as a major source of revenue within our distribution mix. At the moment, it is still significant, accounting for around 35 to 36%. Television advertising also continues to be a crucial source of revenue for us. Its share is gradually declining, but it still stands at around 50%. If its importance were to begin declining significantly—which I don’t think will happen—we would of course reassess the situation. At present, however, we see no reason to make any changes.

So this is not something you expect to have to address in the next few years. I’m also asking because 2030 is often mentioned as a milestone for the future of terrestrial broadcasting, as that is when the frequencies allocated by the Czech Telecommunications Office to nationwide networks are due to expire. So nothing will change before then?

I can’t guarantee that. As I said, everything will depend on how quickly the importance of terrestrial broadcasting declines. Just a few years ago, it accounted for more than 50%; today, if I remember correctly, it is around 35%. That is a relatively rapid decline. We therefore review the situation every six months and adjust our strategy accordingly. So we cannot say that anything is guaranteed for the next five or six years. Everything will depend on how strong terrestrial broadcasting remains.

And you still cannot disclose the year until which the current agreement with České Radiokomunikace remains in force?

I can’t.

Nova is strong in both pillars, free-to-air and premium content. Are you considering moving some free content behind a paywall at some point in the future?

That is one of the potential scenarios and, as I said at the beginning, it will all depend on how the decline in terrestrial distribution develops going forward.

Moving some free content behind a paywall is one of the possible scenarios for the future. The key factor, however, will be the further development of terrestrial distribution and the pace of its decline.

As far as Oneplay is concerned, its offering has long since expanded beyond early releases of Nova’s original titles and Oneplay Originals, with some fairly attractive acquisitions now appearing on the service as well.

A lot of that has to do with the strength of the Oneplay subscriber base itself. We are the largest streaming service in the Czech Republic, so we need to offer the broadest and most diverse range of content possible and appeal to as many target groups as we can. That is the only way we can continue to grow. Our goal remains to bring Czech viewers the very best content, whether that means Czech productions or acquired titles selected specifically with Czech audiences in mind.

What are your customer satisfaction surveys currently telling you? How do customers perceive Oneplay in 2026, and what do they expect from it?

I have to say that in the 15 months since Oneplay launched in March 2025, perceptions of the brand have changed dramatically. The beginning was challenging, of course. Users of both Voyo and O2 TV moved from services they were familiar with to a new platform with a new user interface and a new brand. On top of that, the price increased. But the situation began to turn around quickly. What helped us above all was the content we offer on Oneplay and the way we present it to users. We try to make it easier for them to navigate the service and help them find exactly what is relevant to them. At this point, Oneplay’s NPS is already approaching the levels achieved by Voyo, which was a much-loved brand (NPS = Net Promoter Score, a metric indicating how well regarded a service is based on customers’ willingness to recommend it, editor’s note.).

What does that score tell you in practical terms?

NPS tells us how likely you are to recommend a particular service or product to people you know. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 10, with the resulting score ranging from minus 100 to plus 100. Scores of 9 and 10 are positive, 7 and 8 are neutral, while scores of 6 or below count negatively. So it is a fairly strict metric. We are currently achieving strongly positive scores.

Are you considering offering Oneplay to operators as part of a bundled package, as Netflix, Disney+ or HBO Max do, for example?

We are not considering changing the distribution model. At present, Oneplay has two operators. Nova operates the so-called B2C customer base, meaning customers who subscribe directly, while O2 serves customers of O2 services. So we have these two operators, and we do not plan to change that.

Your competitor Prima announced an agreement with BBC Studios on 10 August that will allow it, as well as T-Mobile, to offer the BBC Player service in the Czech Republic. Are there any companies, whether global players or multinational groups, with which you are considering taking a similar approach, or are you pursuing a different path?

There is a broad range of potential partners we are considering. We are in talks with some of them, we have ended discussions with others, and we continuously assess further opportunities. It always depends on the specific commercial terms and whether a particular partnership makes sense for us. Discussions are therefore ongoing, but at this point we have not concluded any agreement.

Is there anything that is already close to being finalised?

Not at this point.

Are you planning any technological upgrades for Oneplay or anything else that would affect how the service operates going forward? I mean features such as multilingual audio, subtitles and so on.

That particular feature has actually been available on Oneplay since launch, although it was not available on Voyo. The reason it is not available for all content has to do with licensing rights and content suppliers. A large proportion of the titles on Oneplay are still governed by contractual terms negotiated back in the Voyo era, when multilingual audio, for example, was not included in the agreement. Or the supplier simply does not have additional language versions available. We therefore have to renegotiate these terms gradually and then add the relevant audio tracks or subtitles.

And will there be any other technological upgrades?

Technological upgrades are happening continuously; it is a never-ending process. As far as changes that customers will actually see are concerned, we will be improving the user interface during the second half of the year. That will be one of the most significant visible changes.

What exactly does that mean? What will be changing?

We will be redesigning the home page to make it even cleaner and easier to navigate, so viewers can find what they are looking for more easily. One of the key issues for us—and something we see as one of the biggest problems facing the entire industry—is that viewers find it very difficult to navigate the sheer amount of content available. They are overwhelmed by choice. At Oneplay, we therefore want to do everything we can to make choosing content as easy as possible. That means improving both the user interface and the recommendation algorithm, which we develop and refine ourselves. The aim is to reduce the amount of time viewers need to decide what they want to watch.

Source: mediaguru.cz

ILLEGAL STREAMING COSTS UK ECONOMY £1.35BN A YEAR, REPORT FINDS

Illegal streaming is costing the UK economy at least £1.35 billion a year and is linked to the loss of more than 10,000 jobs, according to a report commissioned by anti-piracy initiative BeStreamWise.

The Price of Piracy, produced by WPI Economics, estimates that piracy across sport, film and television results in 10,400 fewer jobs across the economy. Of these, 4,200 are in broadcasting and media production, with a further 6,200 in related sectors including advertising, publishing, retail and the wider creative industries.

The report also puts the annual loss in tax revenues at £366 million. BeStreamWise said this is equivalent to the cost of employing around 9,400 qualified NHS nurses, providing 140 million free school meals or funding 43 million childcare hours.

BeStreamWise is calling for a coordinated response from government and industry, including greater consumer awareness of the risks associated with piracy and measures to make illegal services more difficult to find and access.

Sir John Whittingdale MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Intellectual Property, said the findings should be a “wake-up call” for government and Parliament.

“This report provides concrete evidence that piracy costs the UK economy more than £1 billion every year and jeopardises thousands of creative industry jobs,” he said. “It also directly exposes consumers to the risk of fraud.”

Matt Hibbert, Group Director Anti-Piracy at Sky, said illegal streaming diverts money from investment in British television, film and sport, while exposing consumers to fraud, scams and identity theft.

The report argues that lost income limits broadcasters’ ability to reinvest in new programming and independent production. It also notes that sports-rights revenues help fund women’s sport, grassroots participation and talent development.

Liz Bales, Chief Executive of the British Association for Screen Entertainment, said tackling piracy requires a more integrated approach as viewing habits and piracy tactics evolve.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com

FRIEND MTS AND AGILETV INTEGRATE CDN WATERMARKING TO SPEED ANTI-PIRACY DEPLOYMENTS

Friend MTS and AgileTV have completed the first integration of AgileTV’s content delivery network (CDN) with Friend MTS’ server-side watermarking technology, allowing operators to deploy premium content protection more quickly.

The pre-integrated solution combines Friend MTS’ watermarking platform with the AgileTV CDN, enabling operators using either technology to add the other with reduced integration effort. The companies say the approach is designed to accelerate deployment while maintaining video quality for premium live sports and entertainment services.

When combined with Friend MTS’ piracy monitoring platform, the solution enables operators to identify subscriber accounts used to source illegal streams and, if required, automatically disable those accounts in real time.

The integration uses server-side A/B watermarking, with the AgileTV CDN generating uniquely watermarked streaming sessions based on subscriber session tokens. This allows pirated streams to be traced back to individual subscriber accounts without affecting the viewing experience.

The companies will demonstrate the joint solution at IBC2026, showing how subscriber-level watermarking supports rapid piracy detection and enforcement.

This announcement reflects a wider industry trend towards embedding content protection directly into video delivery infrastructure rather than treating it as a separate system.

Server-side watermarking has become increasingly important as sports rights holders demand stronger anti-piracy measures. Unlike DRM, which aims to prevent unauthorised access, forensic watermarking enables operators to identify the source of leaked streams after they appear online.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com

MAN IN HIS 60S JAILED FOR 6.5 YEARS AFTER MAKING MORE THAN £980,000 THROUGH ILLEGAL STREAMING

A 68‑year‑old man from Chorley has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for running a large‑scale illegal IPTV operation that generated £980,812 in criminal profits.

Milan Ibrahim was convicted of conspiracy to defraud at Preston Crown Court and now faces additional proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover the money he made from selling unlawful streaming subscriptions.

The investigation, led by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, uncovered a sophisticated criminal enterprise supplying illegal IPTV services to thousands of customers in the UK and overseas, particularly British expats. Ibrahim captured and redistributed TV broadcasts from major rights holders — including the BBC, ITV, Sky, the Premier League and the Motion Picture Association — converting them into IPTV‑ready formats and selling access worldwide.

The business operated across 80 servers located at premises in Chorley, generating close to £1 million over three years. All servers were seized and shut down during enforcement activity, significantly disrupting the illegal service.

Detective Inspector Emma Warbey of PIPCU said Ibrahim’s actions caused real financial harm. She stressed that illegal IPTV “is not a victimless crime,” noting that piracy deprives broadcasters, rights holders and creative professionals of legitimate revenue. She added that PIPCU will continue to pursue offenders both in the UK and internationally.

Industry bodies also welcomed the conviction. FACT investigations manager Nick Sumner said the sentence “sends a clear message” that selling unlawful access to premium content carries serious consequences. Sky’s anti‑piracy director Matt Hibbert praised the collaboration required to dismantle the operation, while Premier League legal director Stefan Sergot called Ibrahim “one of the UK’s most prominent and long‑standing suppliers of pirate services.”

BBC Studios also highlighted the wider impact of piracy, saying it harms creators, businesses and licence fee payers, and welcomed PIPCU’s diligence in bringing the case to court.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com

CANADA INTRODUCES A GROUNDBREAKING MECHANISM TO BLOCK PIRACY WEBSITES – EVEN THOSE THAT DO NOT YET EXIST

The fight against the illegal distribution of audiovisual content on the internet has reached unprecedented levels in Canada. The country’s Federal Court has issued an injunction that goes significantly beyond previous practice: in addition to currently active piracy platforms, it also targets websites that had not even been launched at the time of the ruling.

The order follows a joint lawsuit brought by Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros., in collaboration with the Canadian telecoms operators Rogers and TVA.

According to information from the TorrentFreak website, Canadian internet service providers – specifically Bell, Telus and TekSavvy – are required to immediately block access to an initial list of 18 domains and subdomains. This list includes, in particular, popular streaming sites such as 123Movies and FMovies, as well as a number of paid IPTV services.

This sets a precedent illustrating how quickly regulatory requirements for ISPs can change and what demands may be placed on European operators in future as part of copyright enforcement.

How the ‘Expanded Scope’ mechanism works

A key element of the decision is a simplified procedure for the ongoing updating of the blocking list, known as ‘Expanded Scope’. The previous model was a lengthy process for copyright holders: every time they identified a new alternative domain or a clone of a pirate site, they had to go through the entire court proceedings and obtain a new court order.

The new approach significantly shortens this process. Film studios and television companies can now add new piracy platforms to the blocking list virtually independently. All they need to do is submit a statutory declaration confirming that the specific website meets the court’s criteria – namely, that its primary purpose is the unauthorised distribution of protected content.\n\nIf none of the internet service providers concerned raises a formal objection within five working days, the new domain is automatically included in the block. The entire process requires no further court proceedings or a judge’s signature.

From the perspective of the studios involved, this represents a dramatic acceleration in the fight against digital piracy, which naturally adapts to the speed with which the operators of pirate websites themselves respond to blocking measures – usually by immediately launching new domains.

Net neutrality under pressure: operators’ concerns

Representatives of the entertainment industry describe the new mechanism as a key tool in the fight against the rapid proliferation of mirror sites. However, digital rights advocates and some operators are significantly more sceptical.

The Canadian ISP TekSavvy, which was one of the few to have actively challenged the country’s first blocking orders in the past, did not file a formal legal objection this time, though it did publicly distance itself from the order. On its page dedicated to regulatory compliance, the company emphasised that blocking orders of this type constitute a serious infringement of the principles of net neutrality and alter the very fundamental mission of internet service providers – whose historical role has been to transmit data traffic without any discrimination based on content.

The question of where the line lies between the enforcement of rights and operator neutrality remains open. The court order itself is valid for a period of two years. Its actual impact will depend on how many new domains Hollywood studios manage to add to the blocking list without direct judicial oversight before this period expires.

Source: procomputing.cz

THOUSANDS OF WEBSITES TAKEN DOWN FOR ILLEGAL WORLD CUP STREAMS

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), nearly 3,000 websites were blocked or seized for illegally streaming World Cup matches.

In the US alone, more than 1,000 domains were blocked during the tournament, with a similar number also blocked in Colombia. Law enforcement agencies in the US and across South America carried out this operation as part of investigations known as ‘Operation Offsides’ and ‘Operation Red Card’.

Ivan J. Arvelo, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre (NIPRCC), stated that the unauthorised streaming of World Cup matches infringes intellectual property rights and “supports criminal organisations”.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced at the end of last month that it had taken down 400 websites in connection with the illegal streaming of the World Cup. Hundreds more have now been taken down or blocked. “The ongoing efforts to seize more than a thousand domains used for the illegal streaming of the World Cup confirm the government’s commitment to enforcing intellectual property rights and ensuring the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said A. Tysen Duva, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ. Enforcement of these measures is primarily overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency of which the NIPRCC forms part.

Illegal broadcasting of sporting events often takes place via websites or sites created specifically for a given event. Companies and broadcasters estimatethat this activity costs them billions of dollars annually.

Given its global popularity, football is, according to analysts, pirated on an “industrial scale”. The rising cost of broadcasting rights contracts for matches has led to higher prices for fans at home, particularly if they choose to pay for multiple services to watch their team’s matches. This has led some fans to turn to illegal streams of major matches to avoid these costs.

Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) – an organisation focused on combating digital piracy which assisted with the police operation – said on Monday that the World Cup is “the sort of global live event that pirate networks are quick to exploit for their own gain”.

The crackdown on illegal streaming was also supported by FIFA, which organises the World Cup, as well as beIN Media Group, NBC Universal, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Warner Brothers.

A large proportion of FIFA’s revenue comes from the sale of broadcasting rights to various global media networks wishing to broadcast the matches on television. Neither FIFA nor the other media organisations responded immediately to requests for comment.

The Colombian Attorney General’s Office stated that it had even made several arrests in connection with these operations.

Four members of the so-called ‘cybercrime group’ Los Ciberinfiltrados were arrested for allegedly illegally obtaining and distributing access to World Cup matches. A further 830 websites were also blocked in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

In addition to illegal streaming, the Colombian police carried out “nationwide search and seizure operations” targeting counterfeit sportswear.

The Ministry of Justice stated that 11 people had been arrested and convicted in the country for the illegal manufacture and distribution of counterfeit sports goods.

Source: bbc.com

FACT AND SKY TARGET IRISH IPTV RESELLERS

FACT and Sky have issued legal warnings to 10 suspected illegal IPTV resellers in Ireland as part of their latest action against so-called dodgy boxes.

The cease-and-desist notices were served on individuals operating in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Laois and Limerick, following investigations by FACT and Sky. The resellers have been told to stop selling illegal IPTV subscriptions or face possible civil proceedings or referral to the Gardaí.

The services are believed to have supplied thousands of end-users with unauthorised access to premium TV, films and live sport. FACT also warned that people using illegal services could have their details identified and passed to authorities.

Nick Sumner, FACT Investigation Manager, said illegal streaming depended on “a chain of people who promote, sell and provide access to unauthorised content”.

“Resellers are often the direct link between illegal streaming operations and members of the public,” he said. “They sell subscriptions locally through personal recommendations, social media and messaging services, while exposing customers to unreliable services and wider risks involving fraud, malware and the misuse of personal information.”

The action follows a series of Irish enforcement moves by Sky and FACT. Earlier this year, Sky obtained a High Court order requiring Revolut to disclose the details of 304 subscribers and 10 resellers linked to the IPTV Is Easy service. Sky subsequently sent cease-and-desist letters to around 200 individuals who had paid for illegal subscriptions.

In September 2025, FACT and Sky also served legal notices on 15 shops and resellers across nine counties accused of selling illegal streaming subscriptions, supplying configured devices or referring customers to resellers.

There have also been recent court outcomes in Ireland. In July 2025, the High Court ordered County Wexford man David Dunbar, who ran IPTV Is Easy, to pay €480,000 in damages to Sky, with a further €30,000 fine for contempt of court. In 2024, Naas Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Kildare-based King Kong Media operator Ciaran Donovan to three years and four months in prison, with the final two years suspended, for money laundering offences linked to more than €900,000 in criminal proceeds.

Matthew Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky, said: “Illegal streaming is not a victimless crime – it damages jobs, drains investment from the Irish creative industries, and places viewers at risk. It also puts money into the hands of criminals.”

The campaign comes as broadcasters and rights holders continue to focus enforcement on illegal IPTV resellers and customers, particularly around live sport, where piracy remains a significant challenge.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com