Anti-Piracy Coalition to tackle content theft in MENA

Major Middle East broadcasters, satellite operators and service providers have teamed up to form an Anti-Piracy Coalition to monitor, inform and lobby against television content theft in the region.

Rapid TV News reports that OSN, Motion Picture Association of America (MPA), MBC Group, du, STN, JMC, Nilesat, Arabsat, Noorsat, Eutelsat and Viewsat have come together in a regional first to protect intellectual property rights and crack down on signal piracy across the Arab world.

“The region’s television landscape has evolved significantly, and this growth has been spurred by the creation of original content,” said David Butorac, CEO, OSN.

“Intellectual Property crime is not a victimless crime. It inhibits the capacity for companies like ours to invest to create a viable and robust entertainment industry, something this region deserves. Through the Anti-Piracy Coalition, we will work with leaders from the industry and carry out a concerted effort to crack down on piracy.”

The coalition says it will adopt an all-inclusive approach and will work with all willing satellite operators, advertisers, studios and broadcasters to stop pirate channels in MENA.