MultiChoice is continuing its push to stamp out illegal access to its film and television content and broadcast channels through its security unit, Irdeto.
Like a number of content producers and major studios around the world, Africa’s largest pay TV business has been fighting piracy for decades. Pirating occurs when an individual, who is not the copyright holder, copies content and resells it for a significantly lower price than the copyright holder charges.
On Thursday, Partners Against Piracy (PAP) and SA’s department of justice signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that seeks to put measures in place to strengthen the fight against piracy.
The new co-operation agreement “is geared towards establishing a partnership for capacity building, benchmarking and experience sharing, intellectual property rights protection, training, and skills development within applicable legal frameworks.”
MultiChoice is a partner to PAP through Irdeto. The media security business was founded five decades ago and is based in Amsterdam.
In a world driven by internet activity, film and television shows can be found on illegal platforms, usually for free or low prices. Criminals also create unauthorised connections where consumers can watch or stream live DStv channels without having to go through MultiChoice. This is especially true in sport, where big events such as the World Cup or weekly English Premiere League football games attract those looking to consume content without having to pay for it.
For a company that relies on pay TV subscriptions, the group argues that piracy costs it and other broadcasters millions of rand in lost revenue.
The matter is made more complex by the fact that “many perpetrators of piracy do not realise the impact piracy has on content creators and the economy,” MultiChoice said.
In SA, the Cybercrimes Act of 2020 has given law-enforcement agencies the power to protect industry players through harsher sentences for content pirates.
MultiChoice said the renewed partnership would intensify efforts to combat piracy and continue on the wins achieved by Irdeto in targeting and apprehending ring leaders of organised crime. In 2022, the cyber security business welcomed two convictions of DStv pirates who were arrested for the sale of Android TV boxes and IPTV subscriptions.
According to Irdeto, people in five African countries made a total of about 17.4-million visits to the top 10 identified piracy sites between June and August 2021, with music, literature, video content and software websites receiving the most visits.
Outside media and entertainment, the software industry is another major target for piracy.
As early as 2016, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported that 33% of installed software in SA was not properly licensed, representing a total value of $274m.
“Committing to signing this MOU shows our commitment to protecting our creative industry so it can grow and attract investment — something that cannot happen without the government’s intervention,” said advocate Doctor Mashabane, director-general of the department of justice and constitutional development.
Even then, piracy does have a complex place in SA.
While pay TV operators look to protect their revenue streams, some argue that piracy provides access to content that would otherwise be unaffordable, particularly for low-income individuals. However, this argument is often countered by the emphasis on supporting legitimate, affordable alternatives such as public libraries and streaming services with local content.
In the past, during the apartheid era, piracy was sometimes seen as a form of resistance against censorship and limited access to information.
PAP was launched in 2018 in several African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Angola. Locally, the initiative was launched in 2022.
The SA effort around PAP is headed by the Copyright Coalition — an organisation that protects the rights of content creators and campaigns for the redrafting of the Copyright Amendment Bill.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.