Consumers of illegal TV services in Asia start to lose their connections after crackdown

Asian regional pay-TV association CASBAA applauded recent police actions in Thailand and Malaysia, which resulted in take downs and arrests of operators of illicit streaming devices (ISD) networks.

In a statement issued by CASBAA, police estimated that 30,000 consumers in Malaysia were receiving service from a syndicate illegally re-transmitting programming from Astro channels.

Six men were arrested in raids in Kuala Lumpur and Johor.

“The criminal syndicates selling ISDs have defrauded many consumers into believing their services were legitimate.

“They are not. And anyone buying an illicit IPTV box takes the risk of losing their money without a warning when the network is taken down,” said CASBAA Chief Policy Officer John Medeiros.

Meanwhile, its CEO Christopher Slaughter said, the television industry, including leading distribution companies like Astro, PCCW, and True Visions – are determined to keep up enforcement actions against ISD networks.

“It’s important for consumers to understand that if a bouquet of TV programming offered on a box seems 'too good to be true', then it probably is not legitimate.

“Money invested in an ISD is at risk of loss at any time,” he said.

Consumers also risked infection with malware when they attach ISDs, with their dodgy apps, to home networks, warned Medeiros.

Apart from the crackdown in Thailand and Malaysia, an estimated 50,000 consumers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia and other places, all have lost their service, despite having pre-paid substantial amounts for “Expat.tv” services.

Due to this, tens of thousands of consumers of illegal TV services in Asia have lost their connections in recent weeks, as enforcement action against networks operating through ISDs picks up speed.