Moroccan IPTV Piracy Networks Expand Illegal Streaming Operations in France

The business of TV piracy on the internet has always been thriving. Some 800,000 people use the fraudulent systems that allow access to thousands of channels and VOD (video-on-demand) platforms for sums between 30 and 100 euros per year, according to the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom). But these figures do not really reflect reality. According to a survey conducted in August by Odoxa (New window), 5% of the French adults surveyed follow sports illegally (IPTV, streaming, social networks), which could represent about 2.5 million people.

Advertisements promoting these devices are multiplying on the internet and social media like X, (formerly Twitter), Telegram or Snapchat: "Ligue 1 tonight, take your IPTV and save nearly 3,300 euros a year"; "50,000 channels in full HD [high definition] and all the platforms for movies and series." "With just a few clicks, a supermarket of fraud (New window) opens up to interested parties," reports franceinfo, adding that some offer monthly or annual subscriptions. Customers even get a free 24 or 48 hour trial. They also have access to a "7 days a week, 24 hours a day" customer service and pay by bank card, PayPal or even sometimes in cryptocurrency.

In 2019, the Italian police had dismantled a network linked to the Neapolitan mafia. But the court records indicate that the actors established in France are often linked to networks in the Maghreb, particularly due to the Maghreb community in France and French as a common language. "Unlike drug trafficking, where the quantum of sentence can go up to 10 or 20 years in prison, counterfeiting offenses are punished by a few years in prison. The real risk of punishment ’is worth the cost’, given the possible financial gains," laments lawyer Richard Willemant, who regularly defends rights holders on protected content before the courts. He refers to "a different criminality from common law." "It’s not the same criminal sociology, nor the same actors."