DUTCH BROADCASTERS DEMAND COORDINATED CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IPTV
- Dutch broadcasters call for a coordinated government crackdown on illegal IPTV.
- Proposed measures include stronger enforcement, industry cooperation, and consumer information.
- Illegal IPTV threatens media investment and exposes users to malware, fraud, and data theft.
- Enforcement would target providers, resellers, payment flows, and criminal networks.
Dutch broadcasters and industry associations have called on the government to give greater priority to tackling illegal IPTV, warning that private enforcement is insufficient against increasingly organised international operators.
NPO, Talpa and DPG Media, alongside Streamingdiensten Nederland and telecoms industry association NLconnect, have written jointly to four ministers seeking a coordinated action plan.
The appeal, first reported by AD, calls for stronger criminal enforcement, closer cooperation between public authorities and industry, and improved consumer information.
“This has grown into a professional, cross-border and commercial business model. It undermines the legal media offering,” the organisations said in the letter.
Their concerns extend beyond dedicated streaming boxes to apps and websites offering unauthorised access to television channels, films, series and live sport through low-cost subscriptions.
The signatories argue that lost revenue threatens investment in programming. They also warn that users can be exposed to malware, fraud and data theft.
According to Marketing Report, the proposed enforcement effort would target illegal IPTV providers, resellers, payment flows and associated criminal networks. The organisations want police, prosecutors and the Dutch financial investigation service FIOD to give these activities greater priority, alongside stronger European cooperation.
The industry is also seeking collaboration involving anti-piracy organisation BREIN, broadcasters, streaming services, distributors, telecoms operators and payment providers. The aim is to improve intelligence sharing and coordinate interventions.
The letter was addressed to ministers responsible for education, culture and science; economic affairs and climate; health, welfare and sport; and justice and security.
Criminal enforcement has previously led to major Dutch IPTV operations being dismantled. In May 2023, FIOD and prosecutors shut down a service distributed from a Den Helder data centre, affecting hundreds of thousands of subscribers and arresting four people.
The current appeal seeks a more systematic approach to that enforcement. The organisations acknowledge that the size of the illicit IPTV market remains difficult to establish because operators largely work outside public view.
Source: broadbandtvnews.com
