The E.W. Scripps Company operates a portfolio of 61 TV stations in 41 US markets, making it one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters. The company joined the International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP), which announced that it will monitor and protect Scripps programming against piracy as part of the relationship.
Scripps channels under IBCAP’s protection include Bounce, Bounce XL, CourtTV, Defy, Grit, Grit Xtra, Ion, Ion Mystery, Ion Plus, Laff, Newsy and True Real.
“With this addition, IBCAP is now offering anti-piracy protection services to U.S. channels, beginning with the full suite of Scripps channels,” said Chris Kuelling, executive director of IBCAP. “Our lab monitors hundreds of services offered through set-top boxes for existing IBCAP members and increasingly detects piracy of U.S. channels on those services. We have succeeded in disrupting or entirely removing other IBCAP member content from those services, and we are pleased to now expand that protection to Scripps channels.”
BBC Studios joined IBCAP in February 2022, and enjoys similar benefits. Other IBCAP members include beIN Sports, Sony, Willow Cricket, Indiacast, TV5, International Media Distribution SARL, DISH Network, and TV Globo.
IBCAP and its methodologies
IBCAP is a non-profit alliance of leading United States and international content producers, broadcasters, and distributors organized to prevent unauthorized streaming and illegal transmission of television content in the United States.
IBCAP’s goal is to enforce its members’ copyrights by identifying unauthorized video sources and markets, collecting evidence, sending takedown notices, and assisting with legal actions and criminal investigations against individuals and companies engaged in pirating activities. IBCAP is primarily focused on international television content targeted to multicultural communities in the United States and domestic content targeted to those same communities.
Read the IBCAP press release, The E.W. Scripps Company Joins IBCAP, October 4, 2022
Why it matters
Larger IBCAP members use IBCAP as a cost-efficient way for content owners and distributors to bolster their existing anti-piracy efforts. Some smaller international content owners rely solely on IBCAP for protection in the US market.
“By joining IBCAP, we are enhancing our content protection strategy by leveraging IBCAP’s lab and know-how to shut down unauthorized providers of our content,” said Dave Giles, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Scripps. “We have a robust and effective anti-piracy strategy already in place, but by becoming part of the IBCAP alliance, we look forward to adding additional levels of content protection, particularly for the multicultural-focused pirate services that are already part of IBCAP’s enforcement efforts.”
