Security News > 2022 > November > Police dismantle pirated TV streaming network with 500,000 users
The Spanish police have dismantled a network of pirated streaming sites that illegally distributed content from 2,600 TV channels and 23,000 movies and series to roughly 500,000 users.
The pirated TV network used numerous websites to advertise and promote subscription-based streaming services, listing unlimited access to channels from different platforms.
During the searches in the suspects' locations, law enforcement found ten administration panels connected to 32 streaming servers spread across France, Spain, and the Netherlands, that hosted the content mentioned above.
The police disconnected these administration panels, taking the pirate platform offline, and seized computer equipment, 2,800 Euros in cash, and vehicles worth approximately 180,000 Euros.
According to the police announcement, the pirated streaming network had been operating since 2012, constantly evading detection by setting up new shell companies.
ACE is an intellectual property protection coalition that recently shut down 42 websites in Latin America for illegally streaming soccer games to millions of users.