DENVER—The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP) has announced that BBC Studios, representing the BBC Group, is joining IBCAP. As part of its membership, IBCAP will play an instrumental role in protecting the BBC’s channels against piracy in the U.S., the group said.
“Television piracy causes financial harm to the British creative industry, depriving UK producers and broadcasters of income for future investment,” said Diane Hamer, head of business & legal affairs content and brand protection for BBC Studios. “As BBC Studios continues to distribute valuable content in the U.S. and around the world, to return value to its parent company, the British Broadcasting Corporation, it will work with IBCAP to help monitor for infringement and stand as the initial bulwark against piracy. The relationship between IBCAP and BBC Studios enables both parties to collect evidence, share information, enhance detection, and implement comprehensive and coordinated strategies to disrupt piracy in the U.S.”
Representing more than 150 TV channels from around the world, IBCAP is the leading alliance of international broadcasters organized to prevent the unauthorized streaming and illegal distribution of international TV content in the U.S.
IBCAP’s state-of-the-art anti-piracy lab monitors over 250 different pirate set-top boxes and all major pirate websites, apps and social media platforms. In addition to these distribution platforms, the coalition’s enforcement efforts also effectively remove additional sales channels, including local “brick and mortar” shops and online retailers.
“Leveraging our success to date, IBCAP continues to expand its membership by offering the benefits of our world-class anti-piracy lab and highly successful strategies against pirate services that have significantly impacted our members’ business,” said Chris Kuelling, executive director of IBCAP. “Acting as a coalition, rather than individually, has proven to be not only cost effective, but also highly successful in reducing piracy of our members’ content. We welcome BBC Studios as our newest member and are thrilled to now have them as part of our coalition.”
