Nordic Content Protection launches major anti-piracy campaign
MAY 24, 2024 13.06 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

Nordic Content Protection has launched a new campaign to show how illegal streaming services are often closely linked to organised crime.

New figures from the Stockholm-based consultancy Mediavision show that 28%, or 2.2 million Swedes, watched television content via an illegal service in the last month, an increase of 8% on 2023. The greatest use occurs in the 15-24 age group, where 60% of all users responded that they used illegal TV services to watch movies, series or sports in the last month.

These TV services often look professionally built, but what many miss is that they are actually illegal services that steal other people’s TV content and there are often links to organised crime, says Stian Løland, CEO of Nordic Content Protection.

The organisation wants to highlight the connection to drugs, smuggling and prostitution.

“Illegal television services affect far more players than just the television and streaming industry, in the long run it affects the whole society. Now we need to take joint efforts and fight this, from different perspectives and with different means,” says Løland.

Several local personalities will be participating in the campaign including Hasse Aro, host of the true crime TV series Efterlyst.

“It was obvious to stand up. Sometimes you may not know what the culprit looks like, and I want to help make that visible by participating in this campaign. I don’t think that many people know that illegal television services have a connection with organised crime, and I hope that with the campaign we will increase awareness and knowledge among the public. And there can be an irony in this, many watch Efterlyst and think it is an important program without understanding that they themselves are part of what we are fighting, says Aro.

Nordic Content Protection is backed by the major TV and streaming players in the Nordics.