Africa’s leading entertainment company, MultiChoice, has heightened its fight against piracy by deploying artificial intelligence (AI) technology to scour the web and detect any content that is similar to its copyrighted material.
It has also partnered with other organisations under the banner of Partners Against Piracy as it leads in the fight against content theft and content-related cyber crime.
In a brief to IndependentXtra this week, MultiChoice Zimbabwe head of corporate affairs and public relations Charity Njanji said as Africa’s leading provider of video content, her organisation has a major role to play in fighting piracy.
MultiChoice operates a wide range of products and services, including the popular DStv entertainment platform, GOtv, Showmax, M-Net, SuperSport, Irdeto and KingMakers.
It also hosts dozens of African channels and has amassed a local content library of around 84 000 hours. This resource grows by about 12% each, making the group the largest producer of original content on the continent.
Njanji said although all too often many people disregard piracy, “ignoring it could end with catastrophic results for the entire film and TV community across Africa”.
“Content theft affects the entire entertainment industry, leading to revenue losses that destroy content-sector jobs, hurt creativity and lead to less choice for viewers,” Njanji said, adding that it was therefore “important for organisations like MultiChoice to keep content — and customers — safe”.
Digital piracy, however, is growing, not only in Africa, but also across the world. It is estimated that the value of losses caused by piracy will reach US$125 billion by 2028, with 92% of demand being for films and television programming.
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“Content pirates are also often part of organised crime networks and they use their pirate platforms to commit financial fraud, steal identities or install malware on user devices,” she said.
“MultiChoice has to take security seriously. We carry only legitimate, licenced, fully-paid content. This means viewers can enjoy premium content from MultiChoice securely, without compromising privacy or safety,” Njanji said.
MultiChoice has specialised anti-piracy teams working around the clock to detect and disrupt piracy networks, she said.
“We work with partners, like the renowned cyber security firm Irdeto, to ensure the integrity of our platforms and we protect customers’ information using security features which use cutting-edge encryption to protect personal data and payment information.”
She said automated tracing can track down the perpetrators of content piracy, to get them to desist or even have them arrested.
“We also collaborate with global industry players to identify pirated content and take immediate action. We issue take-down notices to sites carrying stolen content and we work with law enforcement agencies to protect our customers and ensure they have access to secure, premium entertainment,” Njanji said.
Subscriber payments are processed through trusted, industry-compliant and data-secure gateways like Visa, Mastercard and PayPal. This ensures that financial information is not compromised and peace of mind is afforded to viewers, she added.
She encouraged consumers to regularly update their devices and applications to ensure they always have the latest security patches and antivirus software guard against cyber attacks and potential data breaches — and keep you a step ahead of content pirates.
“Customers can help keep themselves safe from content piracy by always streaming content from authorised, licenced sources like DStv, Showmax and BoxOffice. Avoid sites that offer ‘free’ versions of the latest shows or movies; they often come with hidden risks like malware and data theft.
“If it seems too good to be true, it is.”
