ACE hails Spanish anti-piracy action
June 3, 2024
By Colin Mann
Anti-piracy coalition the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has applauded the Spanish National Police for their decisive action against the large-scale illegal IPTV service TVMucho (also known as Teeveeing), the first criminal action in Spain against an operation of this size and scope. The targeted operation was triggered by a criminal referral from ACE in January 2023.
On April 22nd, Spanish authorities raided the operators’ facilities, disrupting one of the most widely viewed IPTV services among expatriates in the country. TVMucho/Teeveeing drew more than 4 million visits in 2023 and offered more than 125 channels, including major networks like BBC, ITV, Sky, and RTL. Eight people were arrested during the action.
“We commend the Spanish National Police for protecting the intellectual property rights of dozens of ACE members through this successful raid,” said Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “The operation reinforces ACE’s commitment to partnering with regional authorities in identifying and confronting digital copyright infringement. We look forward to continuing our joint mission to protect the creative economy in Spain and beyond.”
After orders from the Spanish National Police, the access to infringed content and 15 related domains were blocked. The police also raided TVMucho’s administrative operations, uncovering significant amounts of illegal earnings.