Eight individuals have been arrested in Málaga, Oviedo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Madrid in a major operation that dismantled a network involved in the illegal distribution of TV content.

According to a statement from the Spanish National Police, this organization allegedly earned nearly five and a half million euros by offering over 130 international television channels and thousands of movies and series to users worldwide.

In addition to the arrests, authorities conducted two home searches and blocked 16 websites used for distributing IPTV content and capturing and storing this material. Users attempting to access these sites will now be redirected to a National Police page informing them that the platform has been taken down.

The investigation began in November 2022 following a complaint by the ‘Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment’ against those responsible for two websites accused of illegally marketing video content that violated intellectual property rights.

The intricate investigation, involving police, computer, and banking specialists, allowed the Central Cybercrime Unit to determine that the websites were registered, controlled, and operated by several companies led by the main suspect, a Dutch citizen. This individual allegedly headed a business and criminal network primarily based in Gran Canaria, generating over 5.3 million euros under a facade of legitimate business operations.

The National Police reported that the organization utilized advanced technology to capture satellite signals from various countries, amplify them, and decrypt the multimedia content for illegal distribution. They offered this service, which included over 130 international TV channels and thousands of movies and series, to more than 14,000 subscribers, charging between 10 and 19 euros per month or 90 to 169 euros per year, depending on the subscription type. This operation caused significant financial damage to the rights holders, producers, and distributors of these works.

During the investigation, the key members of the network were apprehended, and two simultaneous searches were conducted in Spain, one in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the other in Madrid. Authorities seized a vehicle, two computers, and blocked 80,000 euros in bank accounts.

Update : According to torrentfreak the service targeted was TVMucho, which was recently rebranded as “Teeveeing“.

In this case we can confirm the target was the service formerly known as TVMucho and more recently known as Teeveeing.

Launched around 2015 and originally incorporated in London as TVMucho Ltd early 2016, the company ran for 18 months before shutting down. Company data in Spain reveals that TVMucho Sociedad Limitada began trading just under nine years ago and was registered to an address in Las Palmas.

The article also goes on to describe the measures taken to stop TVMucho / Teeveeing from being available in Spain.

Update : According to The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), it was them who started the investigation into TVMUcho / Teeveeing in Spain.

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading anti-piracy coalition, today applauded the Spanish National Police for their decisive action against the large-scale illegal IPTV service TVMucho (also known as Teeveeing), the first criminal action in Spain against an operation of this size and scope. The targeted operation was triggered by a criminal referral from ACE in January 2023.

On April 22, Spanish authorities raided the operators’ facilities, disrupting one of the most widely viewed IPTV services among expatriates in the country. TVMucho/Teeveeing drew more than 4 million visits in 2023 and offered more than 125 channels, including major networks like BBC, ITV, Sky, and RTL. Eight people were arrested during the action.

“We commend the Spanish National Police for protecting the intellectual property rights of dozens of ACE members through this successful raid,” said Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association (MPA)”

Source : https://www.alliance4creativity.com/news/ace-applauds-spanish-national-police-for-successful-action-against-large-scale-illegal-iptv-operators/