TV Box: new offensive by Anatel blocks access to series – 07/17/2023 – Panel SA

Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) is implementing, as of this week, a new phase of its offensive against piracy of TV content via streaming, which today occurs through equipment known as TV boxes.

The agency had already been cutting the signal of connections made by satellite since 2018. In this new round, accesses via streaming, made via the internet (IPTV), enter.

Open and closed programming from Globo and other broadcasters, movie channels such as HBO and Telecine, on-demand content such as series from Netflix or Amazon, everything will now be monitored by Anatel from the TV boxes.

Currently, 140 million people consume content via streaming over the internet and half of these accesses are pirated in the country.

“The estimated loss for content producers per year is R$ 15 billion”, said Anatel adviser Moisés Moreira to the column.

The agency’s anti-piracy troop is headquartered in Brasília (DF) and also has 12 offices throughout the country. For security reasons, the location is not disclosed.

This group scours sales sites and buy Box TVs that do not have Anatel approval. Some models are already sent by the Federal Revenue after apprehensions by customs.

Afterwards, technicians disassemble these devices to identify the “RG” of each one.

The RG is a code embedded in each TV Box that is displayed on the operators’ network (via internet or satellite). It’s the same logic as a cell phone.

The difference is that, as the device is not approved by Anatel, the “RG” does not appear and it registers as if it were a “ghost”. Therefore, the telecoms know that it is pirated or without Anatel certificate.

What the experts do at the HQ is to search all the illegal equipment in the country, break the codes to discover the “RG” of each one, inform them to the telecoms, which then block the device in their networks.

According to Anatel’s inspection superintendent, Hermano Tercius, who leads this group, so far 6.3 million TV Boxes have been seized, 22% of which were retained by the Revenue itself.

Tercius claims that, between 2021 and 2022, there was an invasion of these devices in the country and a good part was being sold on websites.

In this new phase of the group, robots were also installed that search the TV Box offers in large retail chains, national and foreign.

The project is the result of an action plan by Anatel counselor Moisés Moreira, who leaves the agency’s board in three months.

“It was a kind of legacy,” he said.

Moreira claims that, at first, there was some resistance to the idea, because Anatel does not regulate content. Therefore, blocking is carried out based on the risk that non-approved equipment poses to telecommunication networks.

“The equipment is being blocked because it is clandestine,” said Moreira. “And, for that, there is provision in the General Telecommunications Law.”

A Netflix subscriber, for example, who shares the subscription with a relative or friend will not have their connection blocked by Anatel, for example.

However, if this connection occurs through an unapproved box, the signal will be cut.

“Brazil is exporting this model. Spain only blocks with judicial authorization. Portugal only blocks content and administratively [pela agência],” said Moreira.

However, the next step, according to the adviser, will be blocking the content transmitted irregularly.

For this, an agreement has already been closed with Ancine, the agency responsible for programming.

“Ancine may request the blocking of a football match [cujos direitos não foram negociados]for example.”

According to Moreira, this “dream model” should start in September.

With Diego Felix

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