DStv owner busts streaming pirate

DStv owner MultiChoice says it assisted in the arrest of a Waka TV reseller following a raid in Meadowlands, Gauteng, on Friday.

Waka TV is a form of IPTV piracy, which refers to subscription-based pirate services that often sell themselves as legitimate and offer illicit access to live and on-demand content.

MultiChoice said the suspect was allegedly involved in illegally selling “loaded” IPTV boxes and Waka TV codes, adding that he used social media to market and distribute unauthorised content.

The arrest took place during an attempted sale, which was followed by a search and seizure operation by law enforcement officers, resulting in the confiscation of various equipment, the broadcaster said.

The suspect was charged with fraud and has additional cybercrime-related charges under review. However, he has been released on bail and will appear in court on 27 March.

MultiChoice noted that several foreign currency transactions identified by prosecutors are strengthening the case against him, with investigations still ongoing.

“This latest raid is part of a wider crackdown on Waka TV resellers and other IPTV piracy networks, which has led to countless raids and arrests across the country,” MultiChoice said.

“MultiChoice has made it clear that anyone engaged in the sale, distribution, or promotion of Waka TV will be pursued and face legal consequences.”

Waka TV has been identified as an organised piracy syndicate, which has resulted in millions of lost revenue from the legitimate broadcasting industry.

IPTV piracy is the fifth most prevalent form of illegally distributing copyrighted content, according to recent feedback from Irdeto.

Social media platforms were identified as the most common means of facilitating content piracy.

In this case, accounts share and live stream copyrighted material on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

Broadcast piracy, where unauthorised cable or satellite channels illegally redistribute content without the owner’s consent, was identified as the second-most prominent means of sharing copyrighted material.

Pirate streaming apps, where copyrighted content is illegally distributed on an app, and illegal domains, where the copyrighted content is available on a website, were ranked third and fourth, respectively.

Both of these include the live streaming of sports matches, an incredibly important part of DStv’s value proposition, with a significant cost to obtain the necessary broadcasting rights.