DStv cracking down on pirates

MultiChoice is intensifying its crackdown on piracy, which local authorities have spearheaded in collaboration with the MultiChoice anti-piracy department.

Piracy poses a significant risk to pay-TV providers like MultiChoice, which invest billions into producing original content and acquiring sporting rights.

Sandvine’s subscription television piracy report found that piracy typically occurs with premium television content, live sports, news, and expatriate content.

The latest subscription television piracy services replicate the live television experience offered by cable and satellite providers.

Simply put, the criminals behind the piracy platforms replicate the services normal subscribers get from their providers.

“Left unchecked, we expect this live television piracy trend to grow due to the ease and relatively low cost of accessing unlicensed content,” Sandvine said.

It added that the risk to operators is enormous. “The continued adoption of pirate TV streaming services could lead to increased cord-cutting,” it said.

Cord-cutting, in turn, will significantly impact top-line revenue and overall profitability and undermine an important aspect of operators’ business models.

Sandvine said pay-TV operators need regulatory and legal support to address the problem and step the uptake of piracy services.

MultiChoice, a leader in live sports through SuperSport and with a large catalogue of unique content, face significant risks through piracy.

MultiChoice operates in numerous African countries where resources are limited, and piracy is widespread.

An Irdeto survey found that users in five major African territories made 17.4 million visits to the top 10 identified online piracy sites in a single three-month period.

Content piracy causes significant damage to pay-TV operators who are investing in original content creation.

“When people steal content, those productions stop being viable. Those stories are not told, and those who create that content are not paid,” MultiChoice explained.

“Where content is habitually stolen, the industries built on creating content for fair remuneration may cease to be viable.”

The result is that jobs in the creative industries disappear, along with the unique content they create.

Piracy crackdown

To address this problem, MultiChoice is cracking down on piracy services in partnership with local authorities.

Over the past year, MultiChoice has helped with the successful arrest of numerous criminals involved in piracy.

• 31 May 2024 – A planned raid was executed leading to the arrest of a key suspect involved in one of the most extensive pirate operations in Africa, known as Waka TV.
• 6 June 2024 – A suspect was arrested for the illegal sale of internet streaming pirate devices which allowed individuals to access MultiChoice content.
• 26 July 2024 – A piracy suspect was arrested in Eldorado Park for selling login credentials and internet streaming pirate devices, which enabled illegal access to premium content.
• 6 September 2024 – A criminal was arrested in Germiston for being involved in the notorious internet streaming piracy operation Waka TV.
• 19 September 2024 – A successful raid in Worcester cracked down on the illegal distribution of login credentials that allowed unauthorised access to premium content.

MultiChoice is also a driver behind campaigns like Partners Against Piracy, which works with governments in Africa to create awareness and strengthen copyright policies.

“To effectively combat piracy, content owners, operators, and service providers must work together,” MultiChoice said.

The fight against piracy relies on cutting-edge anti-piracy technologies to identify the source of pirated content and allow for its immediate shutdown.

Frikkie Jonker, the broadcasting cybersecurity anti-piracy director at MultiChoice-owned Irdeto, said their crackdown on piracy continues.

He said more raids on resellers and outlets linked to Waka TV are imminent as law enforcement intensifies efforts to dismantle the sprawling piracy operation.

“The message is clear – those participating in this illegal network will be brought to justice,” said Jonker.

This article was first published by Daily Investor and is reproduced with permission.