Efforts fail to halt pay TV piracy in the region

Satellite and cable operators say efforts to put an end to pay TV piracy have failed to stamp out the multi-million-dirham problem.

"Piracy is harming our business but we cannot put a definite number on the customers lost," e-vision CEO Humaid Rashid Sahoo told Emirates Business.

"Broadcasting from other countries such as India and South Africa is normally cheaper because the broadcasters there serve mass markets back home and can afford to lower their costs.

"But all this is illegal as they are not allowed to broadcast in this part of the world – but it is happening.

Ali Asgar, Managing Director of Integrated Advertising Services, which represents Sony and ARY Digital in the region, said: "It is very difficult to ascertain the exact size of the illegal TV market but a lot of it is coming from the Subcontinent. Many people bring Sky and DishTV from India and nobody knows how many households are doing this.

"It is easy to confiscate an illegal set-top box if you are seen with it at the airport but what about the ones that are already in the UAE? There are so many sources and it is impossible to control."

Yousef Mugharbil, President of Rotana Digital Entertainment, said: "Piracy laws are in place but are not being implemented. For every $1 we make another $1 is lost due to piracy. There are 63 channels illegally showing Rotana content who cover our logo with black boxes.

"Two Kuwaiti websites offering Rotana music content register five million downloads a day. We have pursued them but have discovered there is absolutely nothing we can do about it."

Sahoo said making people aware of the benefits and dangers of viewing pay TV legally and illegally was a better course of action than issuing threats or pursuing legal action.

"We need to educate people and once they are aware I am sure they will choose the legal way. I remember reading in the newspapers about this and there were commercials on TV to educate people. The Arab Anti-Piracy Association is trying its best to stop it," he said. Emirates Business previously reported that the number of viewers watching Showtime's service illegally is 10 times greater than the number of genuine subscribers. The broadcaster says its subscriber base is more than two million – but nearly 22 million people watch illegally in the Mena.

In Egypt, more than 75 per cent of pay TV viewers use black market connections, according to a recent survey.

Many households in urban areas resell signals to others at a low price, which has caused illegal pay TV viewing to spread.

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