Police, BBC & DAZN Join IPTV Piracy Campaign : BeStreamWise

The anti-piracy campaign BeStreamWise, initially backed by Sky, the Premier League, and FACT, has quietly expanded its coalition of supporters to include the BBC, DAZN, NBCUniversal, and the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU). Since its launch just over a year ago, the campaign has primarily targeted illegal IPTV services, especially those offering live sports like football, emphasizing the risks associated with these platforms.

While BeStreamWise has made public efforts to raise awareness about IPTV piracy’s ties to organized crime, these recent additions indicate a growing behind-the-scenes commitment from prominent media and law enforcement entities. Although the campaign’s exact start date remains under wraps—likely due to strategic planning and media embargoes—the live campaign site was first discovered in early October 2023.

BeStreamWise’s primary aim is to educate the public on the dangers of using illicit streaming services. It highlights that subscribing to such services not only fuels organized crime but also puts users at risk of unexpected financial losses and data compromise, making illegal streaming a costly gamble both personally and socially.

Unconventional Campaign Awareness Launch

The launch of the BeStreamWise campaign took an unconventional approach, foregoing the usual media blitz despite support from prominent organizations. At its debut, the campaign’s founding partners included a coalition of influential bodies such as the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), the UK Intellectual Property Office, CrimeStoppers, the British Association for Screen Entertainment, Sky, the Premier League, the Irish Industry Trust for IP Awareness, and ITV. This partnership spans government agencies, broadcasters, sports leagues, and advocacy groups, highlighting the campaign’s robust support network.

The main campaign video appeared on YouTube on September 12, 2023, and quickly gathered traction, reaching 484,000 views by early October. Since then, the video’s view count has soared to 4.9 million, an impressive total for a piracy awareness initiative. However, limited engagement metrics—only 17 likes and no comments—suggest that its views may have been bolstered through external channels, possibly Facebook ads.

Some users have reported seeing BeStreamWise ads after visiting illegal sports streaming sites or pirate streams on social media, indicating that the campaign’s outreach may be precisely targeted. This approach suggests BeStreamWise is employing sophisticated ad placements to connect with those most at risk of engaging with illegal IPTV services, making it an effective, albeit low-profile, awareness effort.

Campaign Expands Partner Network

From the start, Sky has clearly led the BeStreamWise campaign. The privacy policy on the campaign’s website is managed by Sky, and the site is hosted on Sky’s extensive infrastructure. The campaign’s primary focus on illegal Premier League match streaming further underscores Sky’s involvement. Notably, Virgin Media and TNT, despite being BASE members, are absent from the main partners’ list.

Since the campaign’s launch, BeStreamWise’s news section has been sporadically updated, primarily detailing arrests or sentencing related to IPTV activities. However, topics like malware or cybersecurity, which align with the campaign’s theme, have not been covered. While there haven’t been official announcements regarding new partners (especially from security vendors), logos have occasionally appeared on the partners’ page.

In early 2024, new additions included streaming platform DAZN in January, followed by the City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) and the BBC in February. In June, GAAGO, the official streaming service for Gaelic Games outside Ireland, and Universal, a U.S. media giant under Comcast (Sky’s parent company), also joined the campaign. The future direction for BeStreamWise remains uncertain, though it still appears frequently in UK tabloids, often tied to Sky’s anti-piracy initiatives.

However, the once-regular reports, occasionally based on minimal news, seem to have notably decreased in frequency, though it’s unclear if this is connected to the campaign’s anniversary or is simply coincidental.

What Happens With Collected Data

For many years, the UK’s Intellectual Property Office has diligently published an in-depth annual report known as the Online Copyright Infringement Tracker, offering valuable insights into the state of copyright infringement within the UK. The most recent report, Wave 12, was released in February 2023. However, the anticipated Wave 13 report has yet to appear, making it notably overdue. There’s even speculation that it might not be published this year. If this is indeed the case, it would represent a significant loss, as the report has steadily evolved into a highly detailed resource on online copyright infringement patterns and trends, offering critical data to industries and policy makers alike.

Meanwhile, the nature and volume of data that BeStreamWise and its partners have been accumulating over the past year are yet to be disclosed. Given the campaign’s focus and scope, this data is likely to be extensive. One key question remains: will this information reveal any measurable reduction in pirate IPTV consumption? Whatever insights the data provides, the campaign’s mission against illegal streaming is still far from complete.

In fact, combating piracy in various forms has posed challenges for Sky for several decades. The threat has evolved with technology, keeping it a persistent problem that will likely continue to impact Sky in the future. The enduring nature of this issue underscores how entrenched piracy is within the digital age, making it difficult to imagine a time when Sky and similar companies will no longer face these challenges.