More than 250 million turnover per month, more than 22 million customers, pirates and servers spread across the four corners of Europe… a gigantic illegal IPTV network has just been dismantled in Europe. It provided access to more than 2,500 linear TV channels and on-demand content from major video streaming platforms.
The European authorities have carried out a successful crackdown by dismantling a very large illegal IPTV network, particularly prevalent in Europe. The operation required the cooperation of Europol, Eurojust, the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA), and the @ON Network initiative, the aim of which is precisely to improve collaboration between the different police forces. European digital technologies.
This network made available to its more than 22 million customers more than 2,500 television channels, in particular sports channels, including DAZN, violating intellectual property and copyright laws. Programs from Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount, Sky and many other audiovisual platforms were also accessible. He is also accused of other crimes related to money laundering and cybercrime.
An extensive network that operated throughout Europe
Many European countries actively participated in the survey (Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom). 102 suspects were identified and 11 of them arrested, in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany. At least 29 servers were seized, located in the Netherlands, Romania and China. 100 domains were deleted, 270 IPTV devices were seized and more than 560 resellers were identified.
The police also got their hands on around 1.6 million euros in cryptocurrency and 40,000 euros in cash, while weapons and drugs were seized. With such a portfolio of customers, the network managed to generate a turnover of more than 250 million euros per month.
The fight against piracy is intensifying in Europe. Recently, 30 new pirate sites were blocked by French justice, which also has Telegram in its sights to prevent the broadcast of sporting events on the messaging application. Spain and many other neighboring countries are also increasingly vigilant on the issue.
Source : Europol
