FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Melbourne, Australia, 28 November 2017 – Following a joint investigation in Australia by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and CASBAA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) a large supplier of IPTV set-top boxes, pre-loaded to play pirated movies, television shows, sports programming, and other content has had these operations closed down in Australia.
The Melbourne-based company that had been selling these piracy devices in Asia for a number of years has ceased selling the boxes, which contained pre-loaded apps enabling easy access to creative content belonging to ACE and CASBAA/CAP member companies. The company owners also agreed to take necessary steps to prevent customers who had already purchased these piracy devices from accessing ACE and CASBAA/CAP member company movies, TV shows, and sports programming in the future. As part of a settlement agreement, the name of the company and owner were not released.
The devices were sold on average for AUS $400, which included a year’s unauthorised subscription to pirated versions of video-on-demand movies, as well as live sports channels, and premium TV channels from Europe, India, the United States, and South East Asia.
Zoe Thorogood, a spokesperson for ACE, said: “The film and television industry has made significant investments to provide audiences with access to creative content how, where, and when they want it. ACE and CAP members initiated this investigation as part of a comprehensive global approach to protect the legal marketplace for creative content, reduce online piracy, and bolster a creative economy that supports millions of workers. This latest action was part of a series of global actions to address the growth of illegal and unsafe piracy devices and apps.”
Neil Gane, General Manager of the CASBAA Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), said: “These little black boxes are now beginning to dominate the piracy ecosystem, causing significant damage to all sectors of the content industry, from producers to telecommunication platforms. They also pose a risk to consumers who face a well-documented increase in exposure to malware. The surge in availability of these illicit streaming devices is an international issue that requires a coordinated effort between industry and government. This will be the first of many disruption and enforcement initiatives on which CAP, ACE, and other industry associations will be collaborating together.”
The recently launched Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) includes leading video content creators and distributors in Asia including: beIN Asia Pacific, CASBAA, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Fox Networks Group, HBO Asia, NBCUniversal, Premier League, Turner Asia-Pacific, A&E Networks, Astro, BBC Worldwide, Cignal TV, Media Partners Asia, National Basketball Association, PCCW Media, Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia, True Visions, TV5MONDE, TVB, and Viacom International Media Networks.
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is a global coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market and reducing online piracy. The worldwide members of ACE are Amazon, AMC Networks, BBC Worldwide, Bell Canada and Bell Media, Canal+ Group, CBS Corporation, Constantin Film, Foxtel, Grupo Globo, HBO, Hulu, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Millennium Media, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, SF Studios, Sky, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Star India, Studio Babelsberg, STX Entertainment, Telemundo, Televisa, Twentieth Century Fox, Univision Communications Inc., Village Roadshow, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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About CASBAA
Established in 1991, CASBAA is the association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across a variety of geographic markets throughout the Asia Pacific. CASBAA’s members reach over 500 million connections within a regional footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. For more information, visit www.casbaa.com.
Media Contacts
For media contacts and additional background contact:
CASBAA/CAP
Kay Bayliss
+852 3929 1724
kay@casbaa.com
ACE
Zoe Thorogood
UK: +44 7855 828 391
US: +1 202 659 7902
zoe@alliance4creativity.com