Advanced Television

Policy

Jail term for illegal streamer

A man who pocketed £300,000 (€352,000) through the operation of an illegal streaming service before he fled the UK has been sentenced to five years in prison. Mark Brockley ran a subscription-based IPTV service known as aFINITY IPTV for around five years, between 2014 and 2019. He was involved in the promotion, sale, and distribution […]

June 26, 2025By Colin Mann

EC OKs Liberty Media, MotoGP deal

Liberty Media has received unconditional approval from the European Commission to complete its acquisition of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports. The deal is now expected to close no later than July 3rd, opening the door to a new era for the sport. MotoGP is already currently seeing record crowds, new venues and growing audiences. Liberty […]

June 24, 2025By Colin Mann

Creative Industries Sector Plan: Responses

Following publication of the UK Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons, said: “It’s crucial that the Government has a comprehensive strategy in place that allows the creative industries to unlock their full potential and drive innovation and growth for […]

June 24, 2025By Colin Mann

CMA plans competition in search services

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is proposing to designate Google with ‘strategic market status’ (SMS) in general search and search advertising under the new Digital Markets Competition Regime. The CMA has also published a roadmap of potential actions it could prioritise were Google to be designated. Early priorities include: requiring choice screens for […]

June 24, 2025By Colin Mann

£75m boost for UK production

The UK Government has unveiled a major investment package in the UK’s film and TV industry that it says will open doors for young talent from all backgrounds and secure the nation’s position as a world-leading production hub. The Screen Growth Package, worth £75 million (€87.9m), forms a central pillar of the forthcoming Creative Industries […]

June 23, 2025By Colin Mann

Italy: €2.2bn pay-TV piracy losses in 2024

A Fapav/Ipsos study reveals that, despite anti-piracy laws, Italians are still heavily involved in illegally accessing content such as movies, TV series and sporting events. This has resulted in a €2.2 billion loss for the entertainment industry in 2024 and an estimated loss of €904 million in GDP, putting over 12,000 jobs at risk. While […]

June 19, 2025From Branislav Pekic in Rome

$7.5m damages in Seattle counterfeit DVD case

A federal court in Seattle has issued a default judgment in favour of Amazon and studio plaintiffs Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros and HBO in a joint action targeting an international counterfeiting operation that sold fake DVDs on Amazon. The ruling grants all requested relief—including more than $7.5 million (€6.5m) in statutory damages and broad injunctive […]

June 19, 2025By Colin Mann

Who wants EchoStar’s spectrum?

Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar share price rocketed 43 per cent on June 13th on news that Donald Trump has intervened with FCC chair Brendan Carr over the dispute between the FCC and EchoStar. June 16th saw EchoStar’s share price (Nasdaq:SATS) finish the day at $25.11 (€21.72). A week ago they were $15.99. In a nutshell, the […]

June 17, 2025

Guilty plea in Tennessee copyright case

A Tennessee man has pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement after stealing and selling pre-release DVDs while employed at a DVD manufacturing facility in Memphis. The 37-year-old defendant signed a plea agreement admitting his illegal conduct and now faces potential prison time, a criminal fine, and an obligation to pay restitution to victims harmed by […]

June 17, 2025By Colin Mann

YuppTV sues pirate streaming operation

Indian content TV platform YuppTV has filled a lawsuit as part of its continued fight against one of the largest illegal streaming networks worldwide. The company’s comprehensive anti-piracy initiative has resulted in arrests, filing court cases on the piracy network. YuppTV has filed a comprehensive complaint in the US District Court targeting the extensive piracy […]

June 13, 2025By Colin Mann