1+1 Media has uncovered hybrid (IPTV and DVB-T2) set-top boxes used to gain illegal access to the VOD library of one of the largest internet TV providers in Ukraine.
In a statement, the company says that it was help in doing so by Strong, the official distributor of DVB-T2 receivers in Ukraine. Strong monitors the pay-TV market and detects receivers that use software with signs of illegal use of content. After receiving the relevant information, 1+1 Media started an investigation and concluded that the software violated the law. Samples of the pirated boxes obtained during the inspection were then immediately transferred to the OTT provider, after which access to its VOD library was blocked.
Commenting on the action, Andriy Malchevsky, director of distribution and development of the broadcasting network of 1+1 Media, said: “We oppose ‘pirates’ in various forms and in different directions, but this is the first precedent when a specific pirated software that has been operating successfully on the market for many years has been identified and blocked. Specialists of 1 + 1 media have clarified all the technical details of the work and approaches used by the ‘pirates’, so we will continue to move in the legal direction so that those who illegally distribute licensed content are punished”.
Among the content that was pirated by illegal software were not only products from the library of the 1+1 Media Group, but also hundreds of hours of Ukrainian pay-TV content owned by various domestic producers and production studios.
Malchevsky added: “This is a very important step towards combating piracy in general. Blocking illegal services and set-top boxes that help ‘pirate’ a TV product encourages subscribers to refrain from illegally viewing content. Viewers are beginning to realise that such actions are illegal, the software product itself is quite expensive, and therefore cannot be free. In this way, we teach subscribers to consume legal content and turn to official providers, thus leaving the experience of ‘piracy’ in the past”.
