The Swedish government is preparing legislation that would make it an offence for consumers to use illegal IPTV services, extending current rules that primarily target distributors. According to Swedish press reports, an inquiry commissioned by the Ministry of Culture recommends fines for private individuals who stream unlicensed content, alongside tougher penalties of up to six […]

Italian authorities have dismantled a large-scale digital piracy network in an operation coordinated by prosecutors in Catania, resulting in eight arrests and exposing more than 900,000 users nationwide. The blitz, codenamed Gotha 2, was carried out by the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office alongside the Postal Police and national cybersecurity teams. It targeted a highly structured organisation accused […]

An elderly couple from Bavaria is standing trial in Landshut, accused of orchestrating a large-scale piracy scheme that allegedly defrauded pay-TV operator Sky Deutschland of more than €4.4 million. According to a report by German newspaper BILD, Sergej M. (68), an electromechanic, and his wife Valentina (70), a shop assistant, are charged with serious joint computer fraud in 4,611 […]

FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) and its partners have conducted an enforcement operation addressing Irish retail outlets involved in providing access to illegal TV streaming services. FACT teams, together with Sky, delivered legal notices to 15 shops and resellers across nine counties: Kerry, Louth, Laois, Mayo, Donegal, Kilkenny, Wexford, Meath, and Cavan. The targeted businesses […]

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and DAZN’s anti-piracy team have shut down Calcio which streamed unlicensed content from its base in Moldova. The operator of the service agreed to cease operations after being approached by the ACE-DAZN team. Calcio drew more than 123 million visits in the past 12 months across 134 domains. […]

In a sweeping move against digital piracy, Argentine authorities have arrested the alleged founder of Al Ángulo TV, a notorious illegal sports streaming platform that had gained massive popularity across Latin America. The suspect, known online as Shishi, was detained at his home in Paraná, Entre Ríos, where police uncovered a fully equipped tech lab used to operate […]

With a string of new TV deals for the 2025/26 season, LaLiga is renewing its commitment to combat audiovisual piracy, which it says presents the biggest threat to the sports and entertainment industry. LaLiga is urging sports fans to watch coverage through legal channels – in the UK this means Disney+ and Premier Sports. Spanish football […]

An argument frequently used by rights holders as they attempt to persuade consumers not to view illegally obtained content has been given new backing. A new study released by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), has found consumers are up to 65 times more likely to be infected with malware when using piracy sites […]

German investigators have struck a significant blow against illegal IPTV operations, arresting suspects, seizing servers, and confiscating assets worth around €500,000. The large-scale anti-piracy action was coordinated by the Criminal Police Inspectorate in Weiden and the Central Office for Cybercrime Bavaria (ZCB), following investigations that began in early 2024. Five men – three 25-year-old Germans, a 25-year-old […]

A man who pocketed £300,000 through the operation of an illegal streaming service before he fled the country, has been sentenced to five years in prison. Mark Brockley, 56, ran a subscription-based IPTV service known as aFINITY IPTV for around five years, between 2014 and 2019. The sentencing follows an investigation led by the Police Intellectual […]

Spanish LALIGA clubs are losing between €600 and €700 million a year as a result of online piracy, according to LALIGA president Javier Tebas.  Last season, LALIGA introduced new AI monitoring technology to monitor registration patterns, track suspicious behaviour in traffic and amplify the capacity of teams working to detect fraud. As previously reported in Broadband TV […]

Piracy has become normalised for four out of ten adult Italians who now consume unlicensed services. According to a Fapav-Ipsos report, in 2024, 38% of Italians used audiovisual content illegally. The figures represent the loss of €2.2 billion in turnover, an estimated loss of €904 million and over 12,000 jobs. “It is not just an economic […]