Following complaints from rights holders, the courts are waging a merciless fight against pirate IPTV providers. But they are now also attacking the customers of these illegal streaming services.
In recent years, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) has become a popular solution for many users wishing to access a wide range of television content via the Internet. This technology allows you to watch films, series and all kinds of videos via an Internet connection, without using terrestrial networks (TNT), cable or satellite.
In itself, this technology is completely legal. It has also been used for years by Internet service providers to offer television, replay and video on demand services to their subscribers, but also by all streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Molotov and Amazon Prime Video.
But, alongside perfectly legal services, IPTV is used to broadcast content without authorization from the rights holders. Often sold at an attractive price, it offers a much cheaper alternative than legal subscriptions by allowing access to thousands of television channels, films, series and sports broadcasts without paying the corresponding licenses. It is possible to enjoy real bouquets with numerous pay channels (Canal+, RMC Sport, beIN Sport, DAZN, etc.) in high quality for less than 100 euros per year!
And this is precisely what appeals to many viewers, and especially sports fans, who do not want to pay fortunes to watch matches. Moreover, the number of IPTV users in France has recently increased significantly, in particular because of the subscription formula initially offered at 40 euros per month by DAZN to view all Ligue 1 matches.
However, behind this technology lies a complex legal reality which can lead to serious consequences for users. For a little over a year now, authorities around the world have been waging a harsh war against illegal IPTV providers. For example, this year the manager of the famous Flawless TV was sentenced to 11 years in prison in the United Kingdom. In Greece, a court sentenced an IPTV reseller to 8 years in prison and a fine of 17,000 euros, while a European operation called Taken Down made it possible to dismantle a global IPTV network with 22 million users . In short, the fight is intensifying.
But recently, justice has also begun to take an interest in clients. A few months ago, a British man was fined several times, totaling around 8,900 euros, for illegally broadcasting football matches in his bar. But this can lead to prison sentences!
The Athens Court of Appeal sentenced a user of an illegal streaming service to five months in prison, a judgment described as “historic” by several local media. This is the first time that a pirate IPTV user has been sentenced to prison on the European continent. The judges justified this verdict by the economic and social consequences of piracy.
In France, the use of such services is theoretically punishable by three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 euros for “receiving counterfeiting”. However, no large-scale lawsuits have yet been launched against subscribers. But these European initiatives could change the situation, because Greece is not alone. In Italy, the police announced the establishment of a system of automatic fines to deter IPTV subscribers, with sanctions ranging from 150 to 5,000 euros. It is therefore a safe bet that French justice will follow this trend…