Tag: Asia Video Industry Association

Singapore – Singapore’s High Court has ordered to block 22 illegal streaming sites and 70 related domains, strengthening its anti-piracy efforts in the country.

The Court order follows major entertainment players’ push for a crackdown on illegal streaming sites. Among the entities who sought and obtained the order includes BBC Studios, the Premier League, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and LALIGA.

Recently, the Premier League obtained a similar order to actively block the illegal distribution of content in Singapore.

The Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) welcomes the latest order, strengthening its broader campaign against piracy. CAP is working on providing an in-depth analysis of piracy trends and raising awareness of its dangers to consumers.

“There is now extensive evidence of the links between piracy services and consumer harm, including risks of malware infection, identity theft and viruses. A 2024 study undertaken showed that consumers accessing pirate sites in Singapore are nearly four times more likely to be exposed to a cyber threat compared to a mainstream site, and blocking access to piracy services is a great step in preventing this type of harm,” Matt Cheetham, CAP’s general manager, said. 

“Recent research has also shown that piracy services could have wider potential harm, with illegal streaming devices (ISDs) shown to be riddled with compromised apps and pre-installed malware targeting personal data. These devices can be remotely hijacked and potentially used for more widespread attacks on other devices and broader networks,” Cheetham added.

Singapore – Despite a decrease in piracy on pirate TV boxes, pirate apps and streaming or torrent websites, the survey shows an increase in the incidence of piracy across the region on social media and messaging platforms, according to a new survey from Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), conducted alongside YouGov.

The survey shows an increase in the incidence of piracy across the region, climbing from 52% last year to 59% this year. Moreover, it showed that particularly concerning are the increases in the Philippines (12% yoy) and Vietnam (13% yoy), with both countries also now having the region’s highest incidences of piracy amongst their populations, at 70% and 71% respectively.

The dominance of social media and messaging platforms as the conduit to piracy not only remains, but has grown more severe, increasing by 14% across the region. Meanwhile, only 13% of consumers in the region now access pirated content through websites, and 11% by pirate TV boxes – both down from last year.

Moreover, awareness of the negative consequences of piracy (89%) remains extremely high across the region, with consumers being most aware of criminals profiting from pirate services, the risks of malware and the damage piracy causes to local industry being most prominent. 

Lastly, the impact of judicial or administrative orders requiring ISPs to block access to pirate sites is clear, with Indonesian (59%), Vietnamese (54%), Malaysian (42%) and Singaporean (28%) consumers saying they have either stopped entirely or rarely access pirate sites as a direct result of sites being blocked.

Matt Cheetham, general manager of CAP, noted, “We are greatly encouraged by the continuing downward trend of consumers accessing pirate content from illegal websites, which reflects the work done over many years in the region by industry and governments. However, it is clear that social media and messaging platforms must do more to prevent their services being used to find and access pirate content.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Police authorities from the West Java Regional Police have arrested an individual who was responsible for major piracy operations on live sports in Indonesia. The move was congratulated by the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) and its anti-piracy arm, the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

The arrest was made upon the prior complaint from the OTT streaming service Vidio, which stated that the individual–who operated the pirated sites PaseoTV and OkStream– were illegally streaming pirate content owned or licensed by Vidio, including the Premier League, Ligue Un and AFC.

Moreover, OkStream was one of the most popular pirate streaming sites in Indonesia, with millions of views every month. 

The owner and operator of the sites also operated a Telegram account that was used to share links to Paseo and OkStream sites. He now faces potential penalties of up to eight years in prison and a fine of up to two billion Rupiah (~US$126,000).

Gina Golda Pangaila, senior vice president of legal anti-piracy and government affairs at Vidio, said, “Vidio has always been committed to being at the forefront of fighting piracy. Vidio’s piracy mitigation commitment requires collaboration not only with law enforcement and industry associations, but also cooperation with the public. Effective anti-piracy measures are critical for maintaining the integrity and sustainability of the content industry.”

Meanwhile, Matt Cheetham, general manager of CAP, commented, “Indonesia has one of the best site blocking programs in Asia-Pacific, however site blocking is not sufficient alone to protect content, and action by local enforcement teams remains a vital component in protecting both the local content industry and consumers who are increasingly being targeted by pirates for the spread of malware, viruses and identify theft.”

He added, “CAP’s research shows that social media and messaging platforms are the most popular forms of consumers accessing pirate content in Indonesia, and Telegram by some distance the most popular platform for this activity in Indonesia.”

Singapore – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has appointed Clare Bloomfield as its new chief policy officer. Bloomfield has been with AVIA since 2017 holding the roles of director of policy and research, as well as recently being the acting chief policy officer.

In her new role, she will spearhead AVIA’s policy unit, working with members to set the policy strategy and represent and engage in constructive dialogue with governments and regulators around the region so they may better understand the curated video industry and foster an environment of support for the growth of the industry.

Prior to joining AVIA, Bloomfield has previously worked as a UK diplomat. Her postings included Hong Kong, Washington DC, Slovakia, Ghana and Pakistan.

Speaking on the new appointment, Louis Boswell, CEO at AVIA, said, “I have worked with Clare throughout my time at AVIA and I have great respect for her acumen and understanding of the issues faced by our rapidly changing industry, as well as clear and practical ideas as to how best advocate for what is needed to safeguard its future development and prosperity. I look forward to continuing this journey with her as I am sure do our member companies.”

The new appointment comes a month after AVIA appointed media veteran Gregory Ho as senior advisor for the industry body.

Singapore – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has appointed media veteran Gregory Ho as its senior advisor. Ho was most recently the vice president of corporate communications and marketing for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

In his new role, Ho will support AVIA CEO Louis Boswell and work closely with the teams in Singapore and Hong Kong, focussing particularly on the curation of AVIA events and conferences as well as membership development and engagement. He will continue to be based in Singapore.

During his previous stint at WBD, he led the corporate communications and marketing for the media and entertainment conglomerate’s entire portfolio of brands, services and businesses as well as Warner Bros., CNN, Cartoon Network and HBO, across Asia Pacific. 

He also had a long spell with Sony Pictures Entertainment – which included leadership roles overseeing marketing, communications, ad sales, research, channel management and operations for its networks in Asia. He began his career with positions at CNBC Asia and Mediacorp Singapore.

Speaking on his new role, Ho said, “I look forward to working with Louis and the small but mighty AVIA team as we continue to support the industry and our members, shining the spotlight on growth opportunities and the most pressing challenges through our events and conferences – sharing, discussing and debating what matters most to us. I’m honoured to have this opportunity to give back to the industry that I love and has been my career for the past 3 decades.”

Meanwhile, Boswell commented, “As our industry continues to evolve during this period of tremendous flux and transition, I’m delighted to have Greg joining the team. His deep experience and understanding of our industry and his extensive network of contacts will be a tremendous asset as we continuously strive to represent and support the industry’s and our members’ needs including the opportunity to share, learn and engage with each other through our various events and conference.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia has continued to crack down on pirated and illegal streaming sites, now amounting to 3,500 of them taken down since 2019, according to the latest data from the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) of the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA).

The data also showed traffic to all pirate sites in Indonesia was down by 75% as of January this year compared to when tracking first started in September 2019.

Matthew Cheetham, general manager at CAP, said, “Indonesia is leading the way when it comes to regulatory site blocking in the Asia Pacific region, if not the world, and the Indonesian government is to be congratulated for the strong stance they have taken in this area. Local industry is clearly benefiting from the actions, as are consumers who are not only being directed towards legitimate content, but in being blocked from accessing pirate sites, they are also protected from the serious risks that previous CAP studies shows are inherent in accessing pirate sites.”

The latest data also mirrors the latest survey from YouGov, which states that more than 50% of Indonesian consumers say that they have stopped or rarely access pirate services as a result of blocking. More importantly, 76% of Indonesian consumers say they are accessing more legal content and pirating less, and 26% say they have subscribed to legitimate sources as a result of illegal streaming sites being blocked.

Local movie producer Edwin Nazir, the chairman of Asosiasi Produser Film Indonesia (APROFI) was greatly encouraged by the ongoing blocking efforts and the positive traffic data. 

“It is through collective consciousness and continuous effort that we can stand against piracy and bring the Indonesian film industry forward,” said Nazir.

Singapore – Courts in Singapore are continuously cracking down on the rising number of media piracy in the country, as the latest order has stated it will beblocking 30 illegal streaming sites and almost 150 associated domains. Said announcement was made public by the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

Said coalition is made up of member corporations such as BBC Studios, Discovery Communications, LaLiga, the Premier League and TVB International.

Under the order, internet service providers must disable access to these illegal sites and their associated domains.

Matthew Cheetham, general manager at CAP, said, “Illegal streaming sites are simply illegal. Piracy is not a victimless crime and hurts not only content providers but also consumers who can be exposed to viruses and malware when accessing illegal sites, including malware that can access a user’s sensitive data such as banking details.”

Singapore has long been involved in cracking down on illegal streaming sites. In 2018, HK-based media and entertainment company PCCW Media filed a case against Singapore’s telco and ISP operators regarding allowing hosting illegal streaming sites such as DramaNice, DramaCool, MyAsianTV, KShowOnline and KissAsian.

In the same year, Disney Enterprises also filed a lawsuit against the local ISP operators regarding illegal streaming sites, categorised as flagrantly infringing online locations.

Manila, Philippines – Philippine Telco Globe has partnered anew with Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), an association for the video industry in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, to launch a fresh #PlayItRight campaign, encouraging customers to fight against digital piracy.

The #PlayItRight campaign targets to benefit several industries, such as film, music, digital literacy, and education. It aims not only to safeguard original creative content through technology but also to protect copyright and enforcement through legislation as digital piracy keeps breaking the creative arts and video on demand industry. The campaign also seeks cooperation among stakeholders to defeat digital piracy.

The campaign was first launched in 2017 with three main pillars: to surface online dangers such as malware, illustrate the negative social impact brought about by piracy including loss of jobs, and instill that piracy is an illegal activity.

As part of the #PlayItRight campaign, Globe has been voluntarily blocking confirmed illegal piracy sites, making consumers aware that piracy websites can be hotbeds for illegal online activities, malware, and other cybersecurity threats. Globe notes that consumers themselves are also key stakeholders in the campaign, as consumers should no longer find a reason to consume pirated content.

Atty. Froilan Castelo, the corporate counsel of Globe, commented that the assertive voluntary agreements among stakeholders targeting digital piracy will make it much more difficult for online pirates to facilitate illegal content. 

“To complement this, we support legislation that will institutionalize the blocking of pirated sites such as the bill authorizing the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to order ISPs to obstruct pirated websites,“ added Castelo.

Meanwhile, Neil Gane, general manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy, shared, “It is impossible to understate the severity of digital piracy. It is the single largest business issue facing the content industry and putting Filipinos at risk of downloading dangerous malware. We fully support the IP Code Amendment Bills which allow for a fair, balanced, and effective process to block egregious piracy sites and protect the video industry and consumers.”