ITV

Tag: Illicit Streaming Devices

  • AVIA & TVB applaud Hong Kong Customs for crackdown on illegal streaming devices

    AVIA & TVB applaud Hong Kong Customs for crackdown on illegal streaming devices

    Mumbai: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) and its anti-piracy arm, the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), congratulate the Hong Kong Customs for their successful enforcement operation against 10 retail shops in Sham Shui Po and Yuen Long that were selling Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs) that allowed users to watch illegally streamed content.

    Acting on information received from Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB), Hong Kong Customs, supported by TVB throughout the action, raided the shops, seizing more than 1,000 ISDs and related computers and video equipment, with a value in excess of $150,000. In addition to the seizures, three shop owners and three salespersons were arrested. Investigations are ongoing and there may well be further arrests.

    The actions were the first in Hong Kong to apply the “communication right” in enforcement actions against ISD sellers since the implementation of the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022. Potential penalties for this enforcement include imprisonment of up to four years and fines of USD6,400 for each infringed work.

    TVB’s Sr IP enforcement advisor Michael Kwan stated, “TVB works closely with Hong Kong Customs in these enforcement actions, which demonstrate the unwavering commitment of both the Hong Kong  Customs and TVB to protecting intellectual property rights and ensuring a fair and sustainable creative industry. We applaud the collaborative efforts in sending a strong message against the sale and  distribution of ISDs.”

    “CAP’s data shows that Hong Kong has the highest per capita rates of illegal streaming of pirate content in the countries CAP monitors in Asia-Pacific, and consumer usage of ISDs to access pirate content is second only to social media1. Recent studies also show the real risks to consumers from accessing content via pirate sources,” said CAP general manager Matt Cheetham. “It is therefore vital that Hong  Kong’s enforcement authorities send a strong message that the sale and distribution of ISDs is illegal in  Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Customs are to be congratulated for these actions that act to protect both  its creative economy and its consumers.”

  • 24% Hong Kong viewers use TV boxes to stream pirated content: CASBAA

    24% Hong Kong viewers use TV boxes to stream pirated content: CASBAA

    MUMBAI: In a recent survey of the content viewing behaviour of Hong Kong consumers, released by CASBAA, the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia-Pacific, it was found that close to one in four consumers (24 per cent) use a TV box which can be used to stream pirated television and video content.

    These TV boxes are known as illicit streaming devices (ISD) and allow users to access thousands of pirated television channels and VOD content with the payment of one-time fee. TV boxes BossTV (9 per cent), Ubox (7 per cent), EVPad (6 per cent), Lingcod (5 per cent), and Magic Box (4 per cent), which come pre-loaded with applications allowing ‘plug-and-play’ access to pirated content, are among the most popular ISDs among Hong Kong consumers.

    “The ISD ecosystem is impacting all businesses involved in the production and distribution of legitimate content. ISD piracy is also organised crime, pure and simple, with crime syndicates making substantial illicit revenues from the provision of illegally re-transmitted TV channels and the sale of such ISDs,” said CASBAA chief executive officer Louis Boswell as quoted by DigitalTVEurope.com

    The survey also found that some of the world’s top e-retail stores and social media platforms are preferred destinations where Hong Kong consumers acquire their ISDs and other devices used for pirating video content.

    Of those consumers who own an ISD, about half of respondents (49 per cent) claim to have purchased their illicit streaming device from Sham Shui Po, a popular local electronics hotspot. The survey also found that some of the world’s top e-retail stores and social media platforms are preferred destinations where Hong Kong consumers acquire their ISDs and other devices used for pirating video content from. Additionally, ISDs are particularly favoured among 25 to 34-year-olds and high-income earners with university degrees.

    According to a quote given by CASBAA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) MD Neil Gane to Advanced Television, “the damage that content theft does to the creative industries is without dispute. However, the damage done to consumers themselves, because of the nexus between content piracy and malware, is only beginning to be recognised. The piracy ecosystem is a hotbed for malware, whether purchasing ISDs from Sham Shui Po’s Golden Arcade or downloading content from infamous torrent sites. Unfortunately the appetite for free or paying cheap subscription rates for stolen content, blinkers some consumers from the real risks of malicious malware infection such as spyware.”

    CAP includes leading video content creators and distributors in Asia. Members include: beIN Sports, CASBAA, Discovery, The Walt Disney Company, Fox Networks Group, HBO Asia, NBCUniversal, Premier League, Turner Asia-Pacific, A&E Networks, Astro, BBC Worldwide, CANAL+, Cignal, La Liga, Media Partners Asia, National Basketball Association, PCCW Media, Singtel, Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia, TVB, True Visions, TV5MONDE, and Viacom International Media Networks.

    Also Read:

    CASBAA elects new board directors

    CASBAA lauds India; calls for more broadcast, satellite reforms