Illegal IPTV ring distributing 426 live channels and 8,000 VOD titles uncovered, losses estimated at 35 billion won

An illegal IPTV network that distributed 426 live channels and more than 8,000 video-on-demand titles has been uncovered through an international investigation involving South Korea and Thailand. The alleged copyright losses from Korean content alone are estimated at about 35 billion won.

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau signed a memorandum of understanding on copyright-protection cooperation on the 8th in Seoul. The agreement followed a joint operation in February that targeted an illegal IPTV organization based in Thailand and Malaysia.

Investigators said the organization had infringed the copyrights of broadcast and video content across Southeast Asia since 2015. Its services included eight South Korean broadcast channels among the 426 live channels it distributed, as well as more than 8,000 VOD titles. The operation reportedly focused on Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Investigators carried out simultaneous raids on suspects’ homes and offices in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Selangor, Malaysia. They took one Thai national and three Malaysian nationals into custody. After local authorities analyzed seized evidence and questioned the suspects, criminal allegations against two Malaysians in April and one Thai national in May were substantiated. The three suspects will stand trial in local courts.