New research published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office shows that, in the EU, pirate IPTV services generate close to a billion euros in annual revenue. Illegal IPTV services are most popular in the Netherlands and Sweden, while UK subscribers bring in the most money.
Increasingly, people are canceling their expensive cable subscriptions, opting to use cheaper Internet TV instead. While there are plenty of legal options available, there’s also a broad offer of easy-to-use set-top boxes, sites, and apps that are specifically configured to deliver pirated content. There are some free alternatives, but high-quality pirate IPTV services are often sold through a monthly or yearly subscription. This has created an industry that’s worth a lot of money. According to a new report from the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), nearly €1 billion in Europe alone. This is the result of an in-depth study of the IPTV ecosystem published by the EUIPO this week. The research reveals the prevalence of IPTV piracy, who the main players are, how they operate, and what business models are used.
