AFP busts Pay TV pirates
Is this the first time Free to Air has championed the rights of Pay TV via an on-air programme?
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Programming
People smuggling? Drug trafficking? Child prostitution? Nope -next week’s episode of AFP: Australian Federal Police sets its sights on Pay TV Pirates.
The AFP targets two Sydney men who sell sell pirated subscription television smart cards, known as gamma cards, which provide unauthorised access to Pay TV signals.
The show even goes inside Foxtel’s North Ryde headquarters to learn about the ramifications of stealing intellectual property. It must be a first that a Free to Air series is championing the rights of Subscription TV through an on-air programme.
But as we learn it’s a serious, if less common crime. According to the show it’s the first time the AFP have gone after such a crime.
Two men were convicted at the Downing Centre District Court in 2009.
However, the industry has seen earlier arrests for piracy. In 2008 the AFP raided properties in three states and charged two Victorians with making and selling fake pay TV cards -maybe it’s a related case.
In 2007 the Federal Court of Australia ruled against a WA technology business for dealing in piracy equipment and software and awarded Foxtel $1m damages.
AFP airs 8pm Tuesday on Nine.
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- Tagged with AFP: Australian Federal Police
11 Responses
And people say the police have to much time on their hands…….
your taxes at work
Damn I didn’t think those cards worked anymore with Foxtel’s two-way encryption. Intriguing…
I would have watched AFP if it had beenon any other channel than nine but since it is on nine i refuse to watch it because i have been let down to many times before by them pulling shows off after a few episodes send in the dogs australia was the straw that broke thecamels back for me
Paying for Foxtel is the real crime.
AFP needs all the free publicity it can get.
I dont think its FTA championing Pay Tv. Its probably just AFP. But if free to air is championing Pay tv its in those Foxtel ads which they show.
Naah Bill, I think like most people the only involvement I’ll have in this show, will be reading that it’s been axed.
Now, back to the Borgias I go…
AFP is rating terribly against Australia’s Got Talent and Masterchef. Nine need something to counter these light entertainment juggernauts.
Why don’t they spend their money on chasing Real criminals instead ? Oh that’s right – they stuffed that up didn’t they (Haniff case). The AFP are a bunch of keystone cops – still.
Suggestion for a AFP drinking game. Every time there is a swish pan take a shot. I challenge anyone to be up standing after the first seg.