The Broadcast Satellite Anti-Piracy Coalition has forced the close-down of 15 pirate TV channels in the Middle East.
The channels were removed from satellite distribution because they failed to secure the appropriate rights for the programming they broadcast.
The association was formed six months ago in order to combat the rampant piracy in the region, which includes a large number of TV channels showing unlicenced content. The group comprises of Arabsat, ART, du, Egyptian Chamber of Cinema, Eutelsat, IAA, JMC, MBC Group, Motion Picture Association of America (MPA), Nilesat, Noorsat, OSN, Rotana, STN, Viewsat and WWE. (Members pictured above)
The removed channels are Al-Mamnou, Ahl Masar, CDC Cinema, CRT Cinema, Homos TV, I-Movies, Hollywood Stars, Kit Kat, Majestic 2, Mega Cinema, Nessma Al Khadra, QTV, Scope TV Movies, Time Movies and Top Movies, who together were responsible for more than 700 infringements of intellectual property rights for studio owned movies since January 2014.
“The alliance of industry players is trying to combat thousands of hours of pirated content broadcasted to millions of viewers in the region. Pirate channels damage all legitimate producers, actors, production companies and broadcasters. It’s essential for the health of the sector across the region that the pirates are challenged,” according to Sam Barnett, CEO MBC Group.
“The television industry’s sustained growth depends on recurring investments made by leading channels and networks to promote talent and create new content. A significant portion of TV channel revenues is in fact reinvested in the business,” added David Butorac, CEO OSN.
“Illegal operators adversely impact the industry by not only accessing content illegally but also denying up-and-coming creative talent the opportunity to evolve, as TV piracy impacts the potential investments that channels can make.”
