Nearly one in five people who illegally stream television, films or live sport have suffered a malware infection in the past year, according to new research published by the BeStreamWise anti-piracy campaign.
BeStreamWise is a cross-industry initiative backed by BBC, ITV, Sky, the Premier League and enforcement partners including the IPO and Crimestoppers.
The survey found 18% of illegal streamers reported malware infections on their devices over the previous 12 months, adding to growing evidence of the cybersecurity risks associated with piracy. Previous BeStreamWise research found that 41% of illegal streamers had their bank details compromised, with victims losing an average of £1,680.
The latest findings also highlight potential risks for employers. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents who admitted accessing pirated content said they had done so using a work-issued smartphone, while 58% had streamed illegally on a work laptop, potentially exposing corporate systems to malware and data theft.
To coincide with the research, BeStreamWise has opened a one-day “device amnesty” pop-up in London’s Soho, where consumers can have their devices checked for malicious software and receive cybersecurity advice from independent experts.
James Bores, an independent cybersecurity expert, warned that pirate streaming sites pose far greater risks than legitimate services.
“Illegal streaming sites and apps sit outside the security checks that legitimate platforms go through. This means the risk of running into malware, or being scammed into handing over information or money, is much higher,”
he said.
“The fact that one in five illegal streamers have had a malware infection in the past year shows that these aren’t rare. Once malware is on a device, it’s no longer yours: it’s under the control of the criminals behind it. That means everything you use the device for – every password you enter, every message you send and all your private information – is potentially visible to them.”
The campaign also published anonymised case studies illustrating the financial impact of illegal streaming. One user lost more than £2,000 after entering PayPal details to upgrade an illicit sports streaming service, while another lost £80 and had a social media account compromised after attempting to watch a newly released film on a pirate website.
Source: broadbandtvnews.com The digital advertising industry has launched a coordinated campaign to cut advertising revenue to more than 1,300 websites illegally streaming or distributing content from the FIFA World Cup. Industry body TAG said it had identified 1,376 piracy sites and shared the list with advertisers, agencies and ad tech companies through its Pirate Domain Exclusion List, allowing them to block advertising from appearing on the sites. A further 176 World Cup piracy domains had already been added to the list. “Global sporting events like the World Cup are prime targets for criminals who try to intercept legitimate ad dollars by stealing popular streaming content,” said Rachel Nyswander Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of TAG. “The TAG AdSec Threat Exchange has created as an early-warning system to identify and block ad revenue to websites that are profiting from stolen content, and this first-of-its-kind initiative allows us to fight those criminals in near-real time by cutting off the flow of ad dollars to the content thieves targeting the World Cup.” The initiative coincides with the US Department of Justice’s “Operation Offsides”, announced last week, which seized 400 pirate domains. TAG said its effort complements the law enforcement operation by targeting the advertising revenues that help fund illegal streaming services, rather than seizing the domains themselves. TAG said the campaign is the first time the advertising industry has coordinated near real-time action on this scale to disrupt the commercial model behind online sports piracy. Source: broadbandtvnews.com Slovak television broadcasters are warning of the growing problem of illegal streaming, which is depriving them of vital revenue. A single click on an illegal stream can have greater consequences than viewers realise. Slovak television stations point out that piracy is no longer the preserve of amateurs. Organised networks are behind the illegal distribution of sports broadcasts and television content, depriving broadcasters of millions of euros intended for the production of new series and programmes or the purchase of exclusive sports rights. The Association of Slovak Television Broadcasters (ATVS), which brings together the television stations Markíza, JOJ and ta3, is highlighting the growing problem of illegal streaming. According to the broadcasters, this is not merely a matter of copyright infringement, but a phenomenon that directly affects the functioning of the entire audiovisual market. Viewers often seek out unofficial streams of major sporting events or television programmes in an attempt to save on subscription fees. However, according to the television stations, such behaviour supports organised illegal business.An innocent click? In reality, support for the piracy business
According to broadcasters, the scenario is usually straightforward. A fan wants to watch a Champions League match or another popular sporting event. Instead of using an official service, they find a free stream online. At first glance, this seems like a harmless solution. In reality, however, the user risks malware, phishing attacks or the misuse of personal and payment details. At the same time, they are supporting platforms that profit from the content without paying the rights holders.“Every euro lost as a result of piracy is a euro that we cannot invest in new local TV series production or in the purchase of sports licences, such as the Football World Cup or the Ice Hockey World Championship. Piracy directly threatens the diversity and quality of Slovak content,”points out Nikoleta Nagyová, project & product manager for the platforms. According to the television broadcasters, this is not just a matter of lost revenue for broadcasters. The impact is also felt by creators, producers, actors and other professionals working in the creative industries.
Television broadcasters speak of market distortion
Private broadcasters point out that piracy creates an unfair environment. Whilst legal television services invest in content, technology and licences, illegal platforms circumvent these costs.“Television broadcasters that invest in content bear all the costs and legal liability, and are at a disadvantage compared to entities that use the content illegally. The fight against piracy today is not just a matter of individual legal disputes, but also of protecting the entire audiovisual market,”explains Lucia Tandlich, Director of the Legal & Compliance Centre at the Markíza Group. According to her, copyright infringement harms the entire audiovisual content creation chain – from authors and performers right through to the broadcasters themselves.
A pirate service that operated as a legitimate television channel
The television stations also draw attention to the recent case of the sleduje.me platform. According to the broadcasters, this platform offered more than two hundred television channels, premium sports content and an extensive video-on-demand service for a monthly fee, without the necessary licences. Outwardly, however, it appeared to be a standard television service. MAC TV, in collaboration with the Slovak Association of Cable Telecommunications (SAKT), took action against the platform, resulting in the network being shut down completely. According to the television broadcasters, however, this was just one of many such cases. Piracy groups now operate as professional organisations with an international network. If one domain is blocked, it often reappears under a new name or at a new address within a matter of hours.The battle is shifting to real time
Broadcasters admit that traditional legal procedures are no longer sufficient. Content protection is therefore increasingly reliant on modern technology and automated internet monitoring. “The most effective tool today is a combination of technological protection, robust DRM systems and automated monitoring. We use tools for actively searching for and rigorously reporting illegal streams in collaboration with Warezio,” said Ms Nagyová. These systems are capable of continuously monitoring the internet and identifying illegal streams within minutes during live sports broadcasts. They then automatically submit requests for their removal.The quality of legal services is also key
ATVS members emphasise that the appeal of legal platforms remains an important part of the fight against piracy. Viewers expect high picture quality, stable broadcasts, easy access to content and additional features.“The spread of information via social media and communication platforms has also accelerated significantly. The same technological advances that bring new opportunities for the media and viewers are also being exploited by pirates. Content protection therefore requires ever-greater effort, investment and collaboration across the entire sector,”adds Martina Václavová from the Markíza Group. At the same time, broadcasters agree that technology alone will not solve the problem. More effective legal tools, modernisation of legislation and more active involvement of law enforcement agencies are also needed. According to them, only a combination of prevention, technology and rigorous enforcement can curb organised groups that profit from illegally distributed content. Source: medialne.trend.sk The Criminal Investigation Department in Nový Jičín has charged two men, aged 46 and 47, with the offence of infringing copyright and database rights; the case relates to video games. The pair face up to eight years’ imprisonment.
At the same time, detectives have seized funds and property worth 12 million crowns. The police stated that these men had become wealthy thanks to one of the best-known online games, though they did not disclose the exact title.
“The accused are alleged to have used the source code of a computer game that had been published on the internet. The game is popular due to its intriguing theme, which is inspired by Asian mythology and Oriental culture. The resourceful men, despite not holding a licence agreement, are said to have modified the game’s source code in such a way that players could not tell it apart from the original. They then made the game available publicly and free of charge on the internet. However, they made a fortune from the enhanced characteristics of the game’s characters. This computer business earned them over ten million crowns,”
the police summarised.
According to the police, the accused pair’s activities were sophisticated and it took months to uncover them. The operation is the result of a criminal complaint sent by an anonymous person via email.
Source: lupa.cz
Nagravision has unveiled NAGRA Venturi, a new intelligence-led streaming security platform designed to help broadcasters, streaming services and rights holders combat increasingly sophisticated piracy operations.
The new offering brings together the company’s existing streaming security technologies under a single framework that uses data analytics and artificial intelligence to identify, prioritise and disrupt piracy activity in real time.
The launch comes as piracy operations become more automated and increasingly AI-assisted, enabling illegal streaming services to scale rapidly and target high-value live events, particularly sports rights.
Nagravision says NAGRA Venturi moves anti-piracy efforts away from fragmented tools and reactive enforcement towards a coordinated intelligence-led approach. The platform aggregates data from across the streaming ecosystem to provide a real-time view of piracy activity and identify the threats with the greatest commercial impact.
“With AI in the hands of pirates, the market has reached an inflection point,” said Morten Solbakken, EVP and COO at Nagravision. “As piracy becomes faster, more automated, and increasingly intelligent, the industry needs a new approach. NAGRA Venturi is built to fight AI with AI, giving operators and rights holders the ability to move faster and with greater precision.”
The platform is built around three core principles: clarity, focus and impact. Nagravision says the system combines intelligence from multiple sources into a single operational view, prioritises high-value threats during critical events such as live sports broadcasts, and measures anti-piracy activity against business outcomes including revenue protection and audience retention.
A key component of the new offering is NEXUS, Nagravision’s Anti-Piracy Center, which provides managed monitoring, intelligence gathering, investigation and enforcement services. The company says its wider visibility across the piracy ecosystem allows it to identify infrastructure and content leaks that individual operators may be unable to detect on their own.
The launch builds on Nagravision’s established portfolio of content protection technologies, including forensic watermarking and multi-DRM solutions, which remain available as standalone products within the Venturi portfolio.
“For more than 30 years, Nagravision has protected the world’s most valuable content,” added Solbakken. “Built on that heritage – and informed by decades of front-line anti-piracy intelligence – NAGRA Venturi moves content protection from a reactive, tool-based model to a proactive, intelligence-led one designed for today’s piracy landscape.”
The announcement reflects a broader industry trend towards the use of AI-powered security tools as broadcasters and rights holders face increasing pressure to protect premium content, particularly live sports, from organised piracy networks.
Source: broadbandtvnews.comItalian authorities have dismantled three illegal IPTV distribution centres in the southern city of Crotone as part of a wider anti-piracy operation targeting unauthorised access to premium television services.
The investigation, led by the Guardia di Finanza with support from specialist anti-fraud and technology units, identified four individuals allegedly involved in distributing illegal subscriptions that provided access to content from leading pay television and streaming platforms.
According to investigators, the operation served at least 2,769 identified customers across 43 Italian provinces.
Authorities said the suspects operated a network of IPTV services known locally as “pezzotto”, a term commonly used in Italy to describe illegal streaming systems that provide unauthorised access to subscription television channels.
The four suspects are facing allegations including copyright infringement, intellectual property offences and self-laundering. Investigators have seized assets worth approximately €650,000, representing the estimated proceeds generated by the operation.
The investigation reportedly identified payments referencing “Ibo Player Pro”, an IPTV player application that can be installed on smart TVs, smartphones and computers and is commonly used to access streaming services.
Italian authorities said the operation reflected the increasingly organised structure of piracy networks, which typically involve “head providers” operating source servers, intermediaries acting as resellers and end users purchasing subscriptions.
According to investigators, subscription packages were sold for between €10 and €40 depending on the content offered, with customer support also provided to subscribers experiencing technical difficulties.
Andrea Duilio, Sky Italia CEO said:
“I would like to thank the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Crotone and the Crotone Financial Police for this latest Anti-Piracy operation, which confirms the law enforcement agencies’ ongoing commitment to protecting those who choose to act lawfully and the ability to identify pirate users. This is an important step in combating the sense of impunity that still surrounds this phenomenon and in reminding users of these services that they are exposing themselves not only to fines and penalties, but also to scams, theft of personal data and cyber threats.”
The Guardia di Finanza said identified users of the service will now face administrative penalties. Under Italian anti-piracy legislation, fines can range from €154 to €5,000, with higher penalties available for repeat offenders.
The latest action forms part of Italy’s wider crackdown on IPTV piracy, which has intensified since the introduction of new anti-piracy measures and enforcement powers designed to protect sports broadcasters and premium content providers.
Italy has become one of Europe’s most active markets in pursuing both suppliers and users of illegal IPTV services, with rights holders, broadcasters and law enforcement agencies increasingly coordinating anti-piracy operations.
Source: broadbandtvnews.com Google and LALIGA have reported significant progress in their anti-piracy efforts after expanding cooperation throughout the 2025/26 football season.The two organisations said closer collaboration had improved communication processes and accelerated the handling of infringement notifications submitted by the Spanish football league, resulting in a substantial reduction in incidents linked to Google services over the course of the season. The partnership forms part of LALIGA’s wider strategy of working with major technology companies to tackle online piracy and protect intellectual property rights. The league has made anti-piracy enforcement a central pillar of its commercial strategy as it seeks to protect the value of its domestic and international media rights. Google said the results demonstrate the effectiveness of its existing reporting and content protection tools when combined with direct cooperation between rights holders and technology platforms. “For Google, respect for intellectual property rights and the provision of a safe digital environment are fundamental pillars,” said Lino Cattaruzzi, President of Google Iberia. “This close collaboration with LALIGA demonstrates that, through proactive communication and the proper use of our reporting channels across our products, it is possible to provide content creators with highly effective, agile and transparent technical solutions.” LALIGA President Javier Tebas said the partnership had strengthened the league’s ability to combat piracy and protect rights holders.“LALIGA remains firmly committed to the fight against piracy. Collaboration is essential to putting an end to this scourge, and being able to count on major players such as Google strengthens us in our purpose,”he said. The announcement comes as sports rights holders continue to intensify efforts against illegal streaming services. LALIGA has been among the most aggressive organisations globally in pursuing anti-piracy measures, working with technology providers, internet service providers and law enforcement agencies to disrupt unauthorised distribution of live football content. The league said the cooperation with Google demonstrates how coordinated action between rights holders and technology platforms can provide a more sustainable approach to content protection than enforcement measures alone. Source: broadbandtvnews.com Sportlive24.tv is seeking compensation of over half a million crowns from a 19-year-old man from the Český Krumlov area who, in May, filmed and subsequently shared the company’s martial arts broadcast on his Facebook profile. The young man reportedly did not let himself be deterred from broadcasting, despite warnings in the comments.
“During the unauthorised broadcast, the individual in question was repeatedly warned in the comments section under the live stream on Facebook by the official Sportlive24.tv profile that he was infringing broadcasting rights,” said the company’s director, Jiří Hendrych.
He mentioned that the young man did not respond to this warning, deleted the comments and blocked the Sportlive24.tv profile. “From our perspective, therefore, it cannot be said that he was unaware of the nature of his actions, or that he did not know he was broadcasting content without the rights holder’s consent,” added Hendrych.
He confirmed that the company would claim the full amount of damages, approximately 600,000 crowns. “The loss of earnings is calculated for every single person who watched the broadcast recorded by the accused. We are legally entitled to this money and we will seek to recover it. We hope this will deter others who might want to film and share such broadcasts,” said Hendrych.
He emphasised that the company would take this approach in all similar cases. “No one is anonymous on the internet, and everyone should be aware of their own responsibility,” added Hendrych. The young man paid for the broadcast on the aforementioned platform and then recorded it on his mobile phone on the night of 27 May. At least 1,900 people watched his live stream. The police have charged him with the criminal offence of infringing copyright, rights related to copyright and database rights. In addition to paying damages, he faces up to two years in prison. Source: novinky.czThe Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment has welcomed a ruling by the Paris Judicial Court against subscription-sharing platform Spliiit.
The ruling centres on Spliiit’s role in creating a marketplace for streaming subscriptions. The court found the company facilitated the resale of access to services including Apple TV+, Disney+ and Netflix by connecting subscribers with third parties, a practice it said breached the contractual terms governing those subscriptions.
ACE said the ruling confirms that Spliiit was engaged in illicit password selling, where commercial operators facilitate the unauthorised sale of streaming service login credentials to multiple users in return for commission.
The coalition stressed that the case was not about sharing passwords within a family, but about commercial exploitation of subscriptions in breach of platform terms.
The court found that sharing Apple, Netflix and Disney subscriptions with third parties solely for that purpose breached the contracts binding those subscribers.
Larissa Knapp, EVP and Chief Content Protection Officer at the Motion Picture Association, said services that turn subscription credentials into a marketplace “exploit creators, consumers, and legitimate platforms”.
The court also found Spliiit had misled consumers by claiming its service did not infringe copyright or violate platform terms of service.
ACE said the ruling supports its wider efforts to protect the legal market for creative content and reduce unauthorised access to streaming services.
Source: broadbandtvnews.com
