Colombia’s TV authority, ANTV, has fined 150 illegal pay-TV operators since the new set of anti-piracy rules was sanctioned last year.

According to the authority, 130 technical inspections have been carried out since 2016, and 150 local pay-TV providers have been fined for being unable to prove that they have been obeying copyright laws, and equipment has been confiscated in 20 broadcasting stations.

The figures were made public during a training session in which Colombia’s TV authority shared with different industry players the efforts deployed to fight against pay-TV piracy.

Following a plan of action launched in April 2016, the TV authority strengthened its partnership with the public attorney’s office and allocated more resources to the country’s anti-piracy unit.

The strategy was deployed after it was revealed that almost three million homes were getting a pay-TV signal through illegal providers, which was resulting into over $100 million annual losses in taxes.