We all know someone who obtains video content illegally instead of subscribing to a TV or streaming service. Illegal streaming and downloading of films and TV series is still widespread and remains a big challenge for rights holders. Although illegal music downloads went substantially down after the launch of Spotify, Apple Music, Google Music and others, and the situation with films is slowly improving thanks to streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Video, the illegal TV consumption is growing as many people still choose to use illegal sources to access the content.

This is related to the fact that we live in a globalised world and people want to access TV content from all over the world, but often those rights aren’t available in the territory they live in. Or they simply want to save money on license fees. 

What can broadcasters do to avoid illegal retransmission of their channels?

First and foremost, the content owners should protect their TV signals with DRM and encryption - that's what we always recommend to our customers here at Alteox.

But fraudsters will always find a way to crack the encryption and re-stream TV channels illegally. 

The first step would be to detect which channels are being sold and distributed illegally and where, and ask the hosting provider for a takedown.

Alteox has developed a tool that browses the internet via search engines and indexes for all available iptv m3u or ts streams. Our algorithms extract the channels’ names and IDs and then check against our database whether a specific channel is an FTA or a premium pay-for channel.

We can help channels’ owners to stop illicit distribution by offering them our service. Broadcasters will get an automated notification every time a new illegal stream of their channels shows up anywhere on the internet. 

Here is an example:

If you are interested in testing our service, please contact content.team@alteox.com