ITV

Tag: NCP

  • Nordic households caught in the act: piracy up 16 per cent as illegal IPTV continues to boom

    Nordic households caught in the act: piracy up 16 per cent as illegal IPTV continues to boom

    MUMBAI: Piracy in the Nordics isn’t just about dodging subscription fees anymore—it’s now fuelling organised crime. New research by Mediavision reveals over 1.5 million households in the region are paying for illegal IPTV services, up 200,000 homes (16 per cent) from spring 2024. These services offer cut-price, unlawful access to premium TV channels and streaming content.

    While Finland lags slightly in pirate uptake, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are sailing in the same leaky boat. Behind the scenes? A report in late 2024 had disclosed that the web of illegal operators had ties to trafficking and drug cartels.

    “Piracy continues to pose a serious threat to the industry,” said Mediavision.  senior analyst Adrian Grande. “As illegal IPTV keeps growing, it is encouraging that the issue is on the agenda, but it is also clear that action is needed to tackle the problem”.

    The reason: rising living costs and high OTT prices were pushing households into piracy’s arms.

    And it’s not just a fringe issue—25 per cent of 15–74-year-olds in the region streamed or downloaded content illegally in mid-2024 alone. The Nordic Content Protection (NCP) had in 2024 sounded the alarm, not just on copyright theft but its criminal underbelly. 

    To fight back, the NCP had teamed up with TV 2 Denmark, Viaplay Group, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Allente to launch high-impact anti-piracy campaigns, fronted by local TV personalities. These aired throughout 2024, hoping to shock users into realising that their dodgy stream might be bankrolling crime.

    In Norway, legislators are exploring a bold fix: a payment ban on IPTV services, similar to restrictions already placed on offshore gambling. Meanwhile, Sweden’s laws remain murky, with NCP pushing for stricter, clearer rules.

    As pirates loot the digital seas of Europe, Indian broadcasters and streamers would be wise to keep their periscopes up. How much of a revenue loss they are incurring on account of  the Nordic pilferage only a deeper inquiry can ascertain.

  • Lok Sabha passes TRAI amendment bill

    Lok Sabha passes TRAI amendment bill

    NEW DELHI: The appointment of former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister got legislative sanction in the Lok Sabha when it passed the amendment to the TRAI Bill to remove the clause which bars appointment of former TRAI officers in government posts.

     

    The amendment was passed despite protests by the Congress. The Nationalist Congress Party which is an ally of the Congress had over the weekend said that it would support the amendment as this was not the first case of a retired government servant being re-employed in the government. The Trinamool Congress which had initially said it would oppose the bill decided to support it.

     

    The Bill replaces the ordinance issued on 28 May by the Bharatiya Janata Party which said it was based on merits while the Congress has criticised the government for showing undue haste in bringing a person specific ordinance.

     

    Under Parliamentary procedures, any ordinance has to be replaced by an Act within six weeks of the session that commences after the promulgation of the ordinance.

     

    The government strongly defended the move. Law and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government is in “full power to bring the bill” and the effort was to bring TRAI on par with other similar organisations like the Competition Commission.

     

    Misra, a 69-year old 1967-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre who retired in 2009, joined the Prime Minister’s Office the day the ordinance was promulgated. Before the Ordinance was promulgated, the TRAI Act prohibited its chairman and members from taking up any other job in central or state governments after demitting office.

     

    The TRAI Act 1997 says: “The chairperson or any other member ceasing to hold office as such, shall (a) be ineligible for further employment under the Central government or any state government or (b) not accept any commercial employment for a period of two years from the date he ceases to hold such office.”

     

    The amended section now reads: “The chairperson and the whole-time members shall not, for a period of two years from the date on which they cease to hold office as such, except with the previous approval of the Central government, accept “(a) any employment either under the Central government or under any state government; or “(b) any appointment in any company in the business of telecommunication service.”

     

    Although the BJP is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha, the Bill is expected to be passed in the Upper House as the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party apart from NCP and TMC are also supporting it.

     

    The bill will become a law after it is passed by the Rajya Sabha and assented to by the President.