Spanish police dismantles illegal tv streaming network

The Spanish police have taken down a television network that distributed illegal streaming services. More than 130 international television channels and thousands of films and series were illegally available around the world.

Police officers also obtained more than 5.3 million euros and arrested eight people in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Madrid, Oviedo and Málaga. In addition, two house searches have been carried out and. Lastly, sixteen pages for the distribution of IPTV content as well as the capture and storage of its content have been blocked.

The investigation began in November 2022, when members of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) filed a complaint that multiple websites violated their intellectual property rights.

Upon investigation, the police discovered that the owners of the sites were the masterminds behind a large-scale IPTV operation. The network, which had more than 14,000 subscribers, provided illegal access to 130 international tv channels and thousands of films and series. The operation is believed to be led by a Dutch citizen, who is currently under investigation.

Police seizes computers and servers

“This international criminal organization used the latest technology and the most advanced technical devices to capture signals emitted via satellite in many countries. Later they amplified and decrypted the multimedia content they transported, content that they then distributed publicly and illegally,” the Spanish police says in a statement.

Subscribers paid between 10 and 19 euros per month, or 90 to 169 euros per year, depending on their subscription. That way the operators mode over 5.3 million euros in revenues.

Police officers seized computers and servers that hosted sixteen illegal streaming sites. Subscribers who try to visit these sites are automatically redirected to a splash page of the Spanish police, saying the domain name has been confiscated by the Spanish authorities.