TV Box: Anatel and Ancine want to take down pirated access – 06/08/2023 – Market

The inspection against the so-called “gatonet” will enter a new phase, starting in July, to try to speed up the overthrow of pirated signals that access pay TVs or streaming without paying for the content.

In the sights are the moments of high demand, such as football Wednesdays and weekends, which increase the audience of films and series.

In practice, anyone who uses illegal access to watch a championship game can have their transmission suspended before the end of the second half. Series or soap operas may be stopped in the middle of the episode.

The measure results from an agreement signed in March between Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) and Ancine (National Cinema Agency) to advance in the fight against piracy. Through the partnership, Ancine identifies the content that was accessed via a pirated signal and reports it to Anatel, which initiates the procedure for the overthrow simultaneously.

According to Moisés Moreira, vice-president of Anatel, the action needs to happen very quickly and the proximity between the two agencies, which use the same building in Brasília, should favor this agility. It avoids disclosing details of the blocking in order not to expose the method used in the inspection.

“We will be able to work in partnership and start blocking these channels immediately, for example, when there is a live game, something that cannot take more than half an hour. If it takes two hours, the game is over. , we are going to start doing this type of action as well”, says Moreira, who is the councilor responsible for the issue at the agency.

Dropping during transmission should worsen the experience of the user who searches for content through irregular means, discouraging this type of practice.

The new effort is part of a set of initiatives launched by Anatel this year to try to contain the growth of piracy. In February, the agency launched an action plan to block clandestine TV Boxes.

The equipment is used to transform old TV sets into smart TVs, but some unapproved models give illegal access to paid programs. About ten operations have already been carried out, according to Anatel.

According to ABTA (Brazilian Pay-TV Association) calculations, it is estimated that around 6 million households have access to “gatonet”, and losses from piracy in the telecommunications and audiovisual markets should be around R$ 15 billion per year.