Pirate IPTV subscribers had to face a huge problem last summer when the Italian police authorities decided to shut down Xtream-Codes. According to reports, the IPTV management service works with 5,000 pirate services that have around 50 million users in total.
The action of the Italian law enforcers has caused chaos with the various IPTV services. In fact, the IPTV traffic has gone down by 50 percent, although several service providers were able to recover after a few weeks. But this doesn’t mean that the law enforcers will just let them be.
Targeting Customers of Pirate IPTV Services
The Guardia di Finanza, a law enforcement agency that’s linked to Italy’s Ministry of Economy & Finance, has revealed that they are cooking up another enforcement operation targeted to IPTV. But what they are targeting this time around are the customers or the Pirate IPTV subscribers.
After conducting a thorough investigation, the law enforcers were able to trace 223 subscribers that were using pirate IPTV services. The judicial authorities already know about these customers.
The Investigation is Still Ongoing
According to Guardia di Finanza, an investigation is still ongoing. And this could mean that there will be more pirate IPTV subscribers that will be tracked down soon.
These illegal subscribers will go to court for a crime that involves receiving stolen goods. If they are found guilty of this crime, they could get a hefty penalty of 25,000 euros. There’s even the possibility of an imprisonment sentence of eight years.
The investigation is being carried out with the assistance of FAPAV, an Italian anti-piracy group. They provide technical assistance to companies who are dealing with piracy issues. FAPAV believes that IPTV piracy is a growing and major threat against the entertainment industry.
The secretary-general of FAPAV expressed his gratitude to Guardia di Finanza for their anti-piracy operations. He believes that it’s important for end-users to be aware that they are also at risk.
Crucial Operation Against Piracy
According to FAPAV’s secretary general, these operations were crucial since it’s the first time in Italy that the operation is not only geared towards operators, but also service subscribers. He is hoping that the enforcers will continue to take action.
According to him, the increasing problems that pirate IPTV services have caused are often underestimated. Clamping down on these aspects is, therefore, essential.
In only one year of operation, they have witnessed 1 million more pirate IPTV subscribers.
It’s not yet clear how many subscribers will go to court and if this is indeed happening. But this operation clearly shows that even subscribers can get into trouble with the law if they continue to engage in such illegal activities. This should be a warning to others.
What is IPTV?
IPTV means Internet Protocol TV. It’s a more competitive way of providing television services to customers compared to other methods like satellite or cable. It can represent several things, and while there are illegal IPTV services out there, you’ll also find legal IPTV services today. Examples are Hulu, Sling TV, Fubo TV, Philo, AT&T TV Now, and more.
IPTV Subscriptions
Be very careful when dealing with IPTV subscription services that come at a very affordable rate. If the subscription features thousands of premium channels yet the price is hugely discounted, then there’s a good chance that it’s not legitimate.
A recent survey revealed that about 6.5 percent of the North American TV viewers have a subscription to pirated IPTV content. This figure is pretty staggering. For instance, if there are 400 million TV viewers in both the US and Canada, 6.5 percent of this is equivalent to a whopping 26 million, which is equivalent to Canada’s entire population!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article will prevent you from becoming one of the Pirate IPTV subscribers, even though we know it’s really tempting. These services are being offered at a very affordable rate, which is why it’s not surprising to see that many people depend on it now.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it’s still worth it to subscribe to these illegitimate IPTV services? Drop us a comment below!
