DStv piracy battle

MultiChoice has identified piracy as one of the most significant risks to the company and has launched a successful anti-piracy campaign.

The increasing availability and adoption of broadband and reduced data costs have given rise to much higher levels of piracy.

People across Africa are illegally accessing content through pirate websites, pirate services, and social media feeds.

The illegal retransmission and piracy of content, including illegal connections, file sharing, and illegal Internet streaming of sports content, remain critical and growing risks to MultiChoice.

Additionally, the proliferation of social media platforms and short-form video content has further exacerbated these risks.

The short-form video content platforms, including TikTok, mean that unauthorised sharing and streaming of copyrighted material have become more prevalent.

“Digital content piracy is a key challenge for all video entertainment businesses worldwide,” MultiChoice said.

In addition to creating the risk of subscriber churn for video entertainment platforms, piracy undermines the creative ecosystem that enables local content.

MultiChoice is addressing this risk through numerous initiatives, which include using its technology business, Irdeto.

Irdeto is one of the leading companies globally providing digital platform security, content protection applications and cybersecurity solutions for the media and entertainment industry.

“In addition to contributing revenue and profit to the group, we leverage Irdeto to reduce and counter pirate activity across Africa,” MultiChoice said.

“We aim to reduce piracy from current levels via a comprehensive approach including technical, legal, and operational activities.”

Fighting piracy in 2025

Over the last year, MultiChoice has completed a comprehensive study of pirate activity and behaviour in six key markets in Africa.

It has identified key technology roadmap capabilities to be rolled out during the next two years to impede the growth of pirate services and encourage consumers to switch to its offerings.

MultiChoice has also deployed forensic watermarking and payment disruption in Africa and benchmarked anti-piracy initiatives against linear and streaming peers.

It has ramped up piracy prosecution and media awareness to both punish and disincentivise piracy, like Waka TV in South Africa.

The company has scaled up the number of live monthly events with end-to-end protection and bolstered anti-piracy governance structures in the group.

MultiChoice continues to work closely with regulators and governments across Africa and invest in the requisite technical solutions to implement new or enhanced piracy countermeasures.

It is also intensifying efforts to counter the import of pirated sports and entertainment into its markets.

It is ramping up piracy monitoring and takedown to safeguard all high-priority live sports events and content across linear and streaming platforms.

MultiChoice is also moving to more real-time tracking of piracy measurements to enhance enforcement.