Belgium IPTV Crackdown: Mass Blocking Targets Illegal Streaming

Belgium’s audiovisual giants, RTL Belgium and RTBF, have scored a significant legal victory against piracy. The French-speaking Brussels Enterprise Court granted their joint request, ordering all technical intermediaries to block access to IPTV services identified as “clearly unlawful.” This injunction directly applies to internet service providers such as Proximus, Telenet, Orange and Digi.

Read also: Illegal IPTV: subscribers in Belgium who risk big penalties

The action aims to curb a phenomenon described as the “industrialization” of piracy. According to broadcaster data, the number of users of illegal IPTV boxes or subscriptions in Belgium, including many Moroccans, has surged from 457,000 in 2021 to more than 650,000 today, representing 5.5% of the population. The economic damage to the entire value chain—creators, broadcasters and the state—is estimated at 189 million euros.

Read also: CAN 2025: the end of IPTV for millions of Moroccans?

“IPTV is not a legitimate alternative, but an illegal system,” RTBF stressed, warning users that their personal data could be exposed to “mafia networks.” RTL Belgium, for its part, emphasized the need to protect local production from these structural infringements of copyright.

This offensive is based on a strengthened legislative framework and cooperation with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). To prevent pirates from circumventing these measures, the new Copyright Infringement Enforcement Service of the FPS Economy will be tasked with identifying and dynamically blocking mirror sites that may appear.