LOS ANGELES – The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading antipiracy coalition, applauds the success of Operation Switch Off, a coordinated global law-enforcement action addressing industrial-scale illegal IPTV services impacting audiences and content markets around the world.
Led by the District Prosecutor’s Office of Catania and the Italian State Police (Postal and Cybercrime Police) and C.O.S.C. Catania, with international coordination by Eurojust and support from Europol and Interpol, the coordinated enforcement action identified 31 suspects following 29 raids in 11 Italian cities and 14 countries worldwide, including Spain, Romania, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
The investigation uncovered a structured, hierarchical criminal organization operating at industrial scale, distributing unauthorized pay-tv and on-demand content to millions of users and generating millions of euros in illicit revenue each month. The activity generated significant illicit revenue while undermining legitimate markets, harming the creative economy, and exposing consumers to unreliable services and broader cyber and financial crime risks.
Key results of the operation include:
- Illegal IPTV infrastructure serving millions of users taken offline
- Approximately 250 Italian resellers dismantled
- More than 125,000 end users disconnected in Italy, and millions globally
- Seizure of major illegal IPTV platforms including IPTVItalia, migliorIPTV, and DarkTV
- Removal of associated websites and Telegram-based sales channels
- Six servers seized outside of Italy
“Operation Switch Off demonstrates the power of coordinated global action in confronting large-scale piracy networks that damage the entire sports ecosystem,” said Ed McCarthy, Chief Operating Officer at DAZN. “Illegal IPTV services don’t just steal from rights holders – they undermine investment in the sports and entertainment audiences love, and they expose fans to fraud and cyber threats. DAZN is proud to work alongside ACE and law enforcement partners worldwide to protect the value of sports, ensure a safe viewing experience, and help preserve the integrity of the legitimate marketplace.”
“ACE is proud to support the important work of global law enforcement and judicial authorities through intelligence sharing, technical expertise, and operational cooperation enabled by its members,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association. “This case reinforces a reality observed by ACE members worldwide: effective action against IPTV piracy depends on sustained cross-border cooperation and the consistent application of legal and operational tools that match the scale of the harm.”
About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association’s content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE.
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