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Rights

5 arrested in Kodi box swoop

Five people have been arrested in a crackdown on the sale and distribution of illegal TV set-top devices in the North West of England and Wales. The multi-agency day of action on February 8th saw the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), Greater Manchester Police, City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) and the […]

February 8, 2017By Colin Mann

OSN secures Disney MENA exclusivity

Back in 1994 when the then Orbit bundle of pay TV channels was the very first digital broadcaster on the planet, it was justifiably proud of its exclusive relationship with Disney. That relationship is firmly back in position with a new wide-ranging deal with OSN (which merged with rival Showtime back in 2009). The new […]

February 8, 2017By Chris Forrester

Russia: 87% think sharing pirate content is legal

Findings from an online consumer survey from digital platform security specialist Irdeto suggest that 87 per cent of Russian consumers polled believe that producing or sharing pirated video content is not against the law and 66 per cent think that streaming or downloading pirate content is also legal. This is in stark contrast to the […]

February 7, 2017By Colin Mann

FandangoNOW in HBO digital download deal

Premium on-demand video service FandangoNOW has struck a new relationship with HBO Home Entertainment to make HBO content available for purchase via digital download on FandangoNOW. Individual episodes and seasons of HBO content will join FandangoNOW’s collection of 40,000 new release and catalogue movies and TV shows. FandangoNOW is distributed on an install base of […]

February 7, 2017

Stan to stream Cartoon Network in Australia

Australian streaming service Stan has agreed a content deal with Turner’s Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network is the most popular kids channel in the Asia-Pacific region, and Stan subscribers will now have access to its huge range of series. The partnership between the two entertainment brands will also see the premiere of the eighth and final […]

February 7, 2017By Nik Roseveare

Italian police bust pay-TV piracy ring

Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) has busted a pay-TV piracy ring in Naples, seizing €76,000 in transmission equipment, including smart cards, decoders and PCs. The pirates, equipped with decoders and cards from pay-TV operators Sky Italia and Mediaset Premium, decoded premium content such as movies and live football and retransmitted it in real-time online. […]

February 6, 2017From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Analyst: Sky/Discovery dispute sign of market trends

According to John Bird, Principal Consultant at Futuresource Consulting, the impact of on-demand on linear viewing and the rising cost of sports rights are two of the main reasons behind the well-publicised and highly acrimonious pricing row between Sky and Discovery Communications which was settled shortly before the broadcaster’s 12 thematic genre channels were set […]

February 6, 2017By Colin Mann

Facebook big-fight pirate faces Foxtel action

A Brisbane man faces legal action from Australian pay-TV operator Foxtel after streaming the Danny Green v Anthony Mundine fight live on Facebook. Darren Sharpe attracted more than 150,000 viewers to his Facebook live stream who thereby avoided the A$59.95 (€42.67) pay-per-view charge. Foxtel identified his and other live Facebook streams, as well as pirate […]

February 6, 2017By Colin Mann

ITV secures Rugby World Cup rights

World Rugby has announced details of an extensive broadcast partnership with UK commercial broadcaster ITV that will see it exclusively showcase World Rugby’s biggest 15s properties. Under the deal, ITV will perform the role of UK rights holding broadcaster for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan and Rugby World Cup 2023. The agreement also features […]

February 6, 2017

US creatives welcome copyright reform proposal

CreativeFuture, the grass-roots coalition which unites those who value American creativity and innovation in the fight against content theft, has welcomed a proposal from the House Judiciary Committee, led by Congressman Goodlatte and Congressman Conyers, that “identifies important reforms to help ensure the Copyright Office keeps pace in the digital age”. “On behalf of creatives […]

February 6, 2017By Colin Mann