Greek police have successfully dismantled a pirate network that provided illegal pay TV services in the country. Following an extensive investigation, the Hellenic Police made ten arrests, including the ring leader, deputy leader, treasurer, and dealers. An additional ten individuals are accused of involvement and face criminal charges.
According to the Hellenic Police, the pirate network generated over €25 million in profits, causing significant financial losses to pay TV platforms such as Cosmote, Nova, and Vodafone, which estimated their combined losses to be around €100 million.
Thirteen thousand customers who were using the illegal pay TV services have been identified, and four of the affected platforms have shared relevant data with the authorities. Some perpetrators have shut down their operations, making it difficult for the police to gain access to their platforms.
Members of the criminal network operated for eight years, illegally broadcasting pay TV channels through specialized technical means, illegal software, and special decoders. They also ran an illegal internet platform and acted as managers and dealers of the services and broadcasting devices provided to customers.
The accused received monetary compensation through various channels, including in-person, via digital banks based abroad, and through payments to their own or family members' bank accounts.
The Hellenic Police disclosed that the organization offered a wide range of films and TV series to their customers as part of subscription packages, but they never paid royalties to the production and distribution companies.
In addition to intellectual property violations, the perpetrators face multiple criminal charges, including establishing and participating in a criminal organization, as well as violations of media sector regulations and legislation regarding the prevention and suppression of money laundering.
In Greece, individuals found guilty of illegally accessing pay TV content through black market decoders face a minimum of one month's imprisonment and a fine ranging from €500 to €15,000. Depending on the actions of the illegal user, the audiovisual content provider may also impose an administrative fine of up to €300,000.
It is estimated that there are currently between 650,000 to 900,000 subscribers in Greece who illegally access pay TV content, generating an annual revenue of over €160 million for pirates. This illegal activity costs the public sector approximately €35 million each year.
The reintroduction of over-the-top taxation for Greek content providers further threatens the viability of pay TV services in Greece.
