An operation led by Europol during last summer’s Euro 2024 and Paris Olympics dismantled a record number of illegal streaming platforms and illegal IPTVs, according to Spain’s football league La Liga.
Dubbed Operation Kratos, the initiative was led by the Republic of Bulgaria and Europol and took down a network that provided illegal distribution of more than 2,500 TV channels and reached over 22 million users worldwide.
La Liga said the operation was carried out in the context of major sporting events such as UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games and took place between early June and mid-September.
The investigation, which targeted illegal distribution of material from streaming services including movies, series and TV channels (including sports), identified 102 suspects, 11 of whom were arrested.
During the operation, over 112 searches and seizures were conducted, at least 29 servers and 270 IPTV devices were seized, as well as 100 domains linked to illegal activities.
As a result of the operation, more than 560 resellers of the pirated service were identified, and drugs and weapons were seized in the searches, and cryptocurrency worth around €1.6m was confiscated, as well as €40,000 in cash.
The operation involved the participation of 15 countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, with the support of Europol, Eurojust and the Alliance against Audio-Visual Piracy (AAPA).
La Liga said the operation’s main objective was “combating digital piracy in the form of the publication, distribution and broadcasting of digital content subject to copyright and related rights.”
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