Pay-TV operators experience piracy problems

Sigh. Another system designed to prevent piracy that will just add to the burden of those who DO pay for their TV. Pirates will just still not pay.
 
See what happens when you throw money at a Sentech?

So, the FREE VIVID service has become a piracy problem?

Yes, it is free : http://www.sentech.co.za/products/vivid

Satellite Coverage
Sentech is currently broadcasting o*n Vivid via two satellites, namely Panamsat PAS 7 and PAS10. The following channels are available:* SA o*nly

Free to Air TV Channels:
* SABC News International
* CNBC Africa
* God TV
* Itv
* Spirit Word
* Maranatha TV
* Kruiskyk
* Eziekiel TV
* Frans 24
* Hope
* Christian Television
* Love World

Free Access TV Channels:
* SABC1
* SABC2
* SABC3
* E.TV
Click to expand...

So, this free service is now being received in other countries using another receiver, thereby breaking licensing terms.

In the meantime, DSTV is charging South Africans money for the same service (Easyview (R20 a month)), and people are actually paying them.

But, now Sentech gets to spend more of our money to solve this little problem that they have created.
Close it down.
 
So where can I get one of these decoders?

:-) full boquet way too expoinsive
 
Actually, the piracy problem is more massive than Multichoice cares to admit. Besides the kind of African piracy that is mentioned in the article there is the piracy that completely bypasses the satellite decoders and just downloads straight from the internet, but nevertheless eats into the multichoice market.

More and more people are canceling their DSTV subscriptions and downloading their content directly for themselves or from a friend and putting it on some form or media player or onto their computers. This is becoming more and more popular and informal physical or social networks are being set up to provide the content.

There are numerous beneficial reasons for doing this.

1) The content is usually free, unless some unscrupulous dealer charges you for it or you have to pay a fee to download it (usually your ISP costs and subscriptions to online sites).
2) There is no advertising.
3) There is no region protection, copy protection, encryption, or DRM.
4) The law is a quagmire of outdated copyright policies, loopholes and unenforced legislation.
5) It is private and on demand, the content can be viewed at any time and paused if necessary, or streamed live.

Now whether or not you view this activity as legal, illegal, theft, borrowing, etc... the fact is that it is happening. it is the not so "silent elephant in the room".

It has come about because of several reasons...

1) The price of content or access to licensed material is costly and exorbitant. For example a DSTV premium account now costs in the region of R530 a month. Blu-ray discs average around R270 each.
2) DSTV is supposed to be a pay subscription model, but carries heavy advertising.
3) The material is freely available on the internet, well organised and of good quality.
4) Unscrupulous middle men (retailers) are controlling the pricing and distribution of the content to the detriment of consumers.
5) DSTV is plagued with technical issues: Installation hurdles, storm downtime, episodes aired out of sequence, content not aired at the scheduled time, Buggy Decoder and PVR issues, etc.
6) The content being released from the USA is given to Africa out of time... often a year behind schedule. TV series are typically aired about 3 months to a year behind release in the USA.

All of this adds up to a situation where, in this world of quick and easy access, DSTV is quickly becoming outdated and out-performed by the Internet.
The Digital Satellite model has failed to adapt to this situation. Even Terrestrial Broadcast Television is at risk.
They should have launched their own websites with content to the Internet at reasonable rates years ago.

The fact is, right or wrong, people are accessing this content and there is little that the content owners can do to stop them, except to quit producing their content.
However they show or broadcast their content, somebody is going to pirate it.

So to kill this form of piracy the only viable solution is to bring the content to the consumers first at a reasonable cost.
If they don't or if they refuse to do this by clinging to their outdated distribution model they will have a war of attrition on their hands.
They can choose to fight it legally, but that is a time consuming and expensive process and only makes enemies of their target audience.
The only viable solution is to get with the times and begin providing the content where the consumers want it.
 
Why would someone in Europe want to watch SABC News? I'm pretty sure that Europeans have far better ways of getting their news fix than SABC.
 
Yes, I have to agree.
Lately I am only using my DSTV to watch sport and Discovery. The rest of the time it is popcorn hour :)
 
what horse-poo!

The Vivid platform is Nagravision 1, its outdated and was cracked about 8 to 10 years ago. Nagravision are on Version 3 now.
 
Brown Fox said:
Who would want to Pirate SABC channels... :wtf:
Click to expand...

haha, +1..Imagine what these poor people must have to watch if they're pirating SABC..

SABC sucks big time..I think they possibly show 1 interesting modern movie a month..I prefer my PC screen anyday :)
 
Encrypt the bloody channels cause the people in the informal settlement are getting free TV anyways and all whites must pay their TV licenses. But now that the bloody government are in control of the SABC, they wont encrypt it, cause its their informal settlers right to get free entertainment on our cost. But should we ask to encrypt the signal, our comedian Mr. Malema will surely ask for nationalization of all broadcasting channels (including etv) in SA cause it their right.
 
Garyvdh said:
Actually, the piracy problem is more massive than Multichoice cares to admit. Besides the kind of African piracy that is mentioned in the article there is the piracy that completely bypasses the satellite decoders and just downloads straight from the internet, but nevertheless eats into the multichoice market.

More and more people are canceling their DSTV subscriptions and downloading their content directly for themselves or from a friend and putting it on some form or media player or onto their computers. This is becoming more and more popular and informal physical or social networks are being set up to provide the content.

There are numerous beneficial reasons for doing this.

1) The content is usually free, unless some unscrupulous dealer charges you for it or you have to pay a fee to download it (usually your ISP costs and subscriptions to online sites).
2) There is no advertising.
3) There is no region protection, copy protection, encryption, or DRM.
4) The law is a quagmire of outdated copyright policies, loopholes and unenforced legislation.
5) It is private and on demand, the content can be viewed at any time and paused if necessary, or streamed live.

Now whether or not you view this activity as legal, illegal, theft, borrowing, etc... the fact is that it is happening. it is the not so "silent elephant in the room".

It has come about because of several reasons...

1) The price of content or access to licensed material is costly and exorbitant. For example a DSTV premium account now costs in the region of R530 a month. Blu-ray discs average around R270 each.
2) DSTV is supposed to be a pay subscription model, but carries heavy advertising.
3) The material is freely available on the internet, well organised and of good quality.
4) Unscrupulous middle men (retailers) are controlling the pricing and distribution of the content to the detriment of consumers.
5) DSTV is plagued with technical issues: Installation hurdles, storm downtime, episodes aired out of sequence, content not aired at the scheduled time, Buggy Decoder and PVR issues, etc.
6) The content being released from the USA is given to Africa out of time... often a year behind schedule. TV series are typically aired about 3 months to a year behind release in the USA.

All of this adds up to a situation where, in this world of quick and easy access, DSTV is quickly becoming outdated and out-performed by the Internet.
The Digital Satellite model has failed to adapt to this situation. Even Terrestrial Broadcast Television is at risk.
They should have launched their own websites with content to the Internet at reasonable rates years ago.

The fact is, right or wrong, people are accessing this content and there is little that the content owners can do to stop them, except to quit producing their content.
However they show or broadcast their content, somebody is going to pirate it.

So to kill this form of piracy the only viable solution is to bring the content to the consumers first at a reasonable cost.
If they don't or if they refuse to do this by clinging to their outdated distribution model they will have a war of attrition on their hands.
They can choose to fight it legally, but that is a time consuming and expensive process and only makes enemies of their target audience.
The only viable solution is to get with the times and begin providing the content where the consumers want it.
Click to expand...

+1
Downloaded content will increase because of Multichoice's greedy penchant for moola!
They only have themselves to blame.
 
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