ITV renewed its two-year anti-piracy partnership with Friend MTS, expanding monitoring to major events on ITV4. The service uses automated detection and round-the-clock operations to identify illegal streams and support takedowns across broadcast and streaming platforms.
Traffic to piracy websites fell 5.72% in 2024, but television remained the largest category, with nearly 97 billion visits. Film piracy declined 18%, while publishing was the only category to grow; streaming and downloads accounted for nearly equal shares.
Swiss and international sports and media organizations have launched StreamSafe to warn consumers about the risks of illegal IPTV and promote legal viewing. An AAPA study estimates 634,000 people in Switzerland use illegal IPTV, costing providers up to CHF70 million annually.
AAPA estimates 34.4 million people in the EU, UK and Switzerland used illicit IPTV in 2025, generating €2.6 billion for illegal providers and costing legitimate pay-TV providers €5.8 billion in potential revenue. It urges faster, coordinated anti-piracy measures.
A UK study found that illegal streaming exposes users to scams, identity theft, malware and potentially organised crime; 37% of active users surveyed had encountered harmful or unsafe content. Researchers estimate fraud and theft cost UK viewers about £270 million annually.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s cable operators and audiovisual rights groups are seeking faster, clearer procedures for removing online ads promoting illegal IPTV services. The participating platforms and a timetable for the proposed measures were not identified.
Illegal streaming costs UK broadcasters an estimated £1.35 billion annually, including losses from sports, film and television. The study estimates these losses equate to 10,400 jobs and £366 million in forgone tax revenue, potentially limiting investment in production and sport.
UK anti-piracy organisation FACT says enforcement activity over the summer has resulted in prison sentences, arrests and financial penalties against operators and users of illegal streaming services.
Omdia's study emphasizes the need for a shift from reactive to preventive anti-piracy measures in the streaming era, highlighting the limitations of traditional methods and advocating for multi-DRM, forensic watermarking, and application security to enhance content protection.
Despite the increase in legal streaming services, piracy remains prevalent, with over 21% of online adults using unauthorized sources, particularly among engaged viewers like sports fans. The study highlights that convenience and ease of access are significant factors driving this trend.
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 […]
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. […]
