MultiChoice has identified piracy as one of the most critical threats to its business, warning that the rise of affordable broadband and short-form video platforms has fueled unprecedented levels of copyright infringement across Africa.
In its latest annual report, the pay-TV giant said the illegal retransmission and streaming of content, particularly sports, remain “critical and growing risks” to its operations. The company noted that pirate websites, unauthorized IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services, and social media feeds are increasingly used to bypass its platforms.
“Short-form video content platforms, including TikTok, have made the unauthorised sharing and streaming of copyrighted material more prevalent,” the report stated.
The company outlined ten major risks it is monitoring, with three, piracy, disruption and competition, and cybersecurity, directly tied to wide-scale copyright infringement. Other challenges include regulatory pressures, negative macroeconomic conditions, currency depreciation, talent shortages, technology adoption, aggressive taxation regimes, and the impact of load-shedding in South Africa.
MultiChoice said it is tackling piracy through a combination of legal action, technology, and operational countermeasures, supported by its cybersecurity subsidiary, Irdeto.
“In addition to contributing revenue and profit to the group, we leverage Irdeto to reduce and counter pirate activity across Africa,” the company said. “We aim to reduce piracy from current levels via a comprehensive approach including technical, legal, and operational activities.”
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The group has shifted its strategy from targeting small resellers of illegal IPTV services to going after upstream providers in foreign markets. This includes blocking accounts linked to piracy operators during major live sports broadcasts in a bid to discourage users from illegal streaming.
In the first half of its last financial year, MultiChoice initiated 233 anti-piracy court cases, more than double the 111 cases recorded in the same period a year earlier. While activity slowed in the second half, the company said this was not due to reduced enforcement.
“We have concentrated our resources on fewer higher-impact cases rather than volume, focusing on upstream targets which has a bigger impact on users of illegal piracy sites and apps,” it explained. “Our monitoring and anti-piracy toolsets have evolved significantly in the past 12 months, allowing us to more easily identify and block our platform from being utilised in streaming piracy operations.”
The company insists that piracy remains a top priority because it undermines both its subscription model and long-term competitiveness in Africa’s fast-changing media landscape.
