MultiChoice said TV piracy won’t be tolerated in Africa. Three content pirates have been convicted to a 2-year jail term and the heavy fine demonstrates that content piracy is a serious offense.

MultiChoice Africa and the digital platform security specialist, Irdeto, worked together to get three Egyptian content pirates convicted. They were sentenced in Cairo to a 2-year jail term and fined US$97047. They were found guilty on all charges which included selling illegal pirate subscriptions and allowing over 163,000 pirate viewers to watch TV content from international broadcasters.

Frikkie Jonker, general manager of the Africa Piracy Department at MultiChoice Africa said: “Engaging in any form of piracy comes with consequences, and this ruling clearly indicates that piracy will not be tolerated.”
He added: “These convictions are critical to sending a message to the pirate community that piracy is a serious offence that damages the media and entertainment industry. Our collaboration with Irdeto and the unbelievable support of the Egyptian enforcement authorities, without whom this would not have been possible, demonstrates the importance of working together to combat the growing problem of piracy.”

The investigations into the suspects started through a joint criminal investigation which led to raids that uncovered several electronic components, illegal decoders and smartcards.

“These convictions are a testament to the seriousness of the piracy offence and the commitment of law enforcement worldwide to crack down on these cybercrime networks,” says Rory O’Connor, Irdeto vice president of cyber security services.
“Our partnership with MultiChoice Africa epitomises our commitment to content owners, rights holders and operators to combat smartcard sharing and other forms of piracy. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement around the globe to shut down criminal pirate networks and ensure that justice is served.”