The order by the Singapore High Court follows on from a similar order obtained in Singapore by the Premier League in November 2024 and continues the push by its applicants BBC Studios, the Premier League, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and LALIGA, that in recent years has seen the blocking of hundreds of illegal streaming sites and hundreds more associated domains that were offering access to some of the most sought-after content in Singapore including live sports, drama and entertainment.
The order is also part of a wider campaign by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalation Against Piracy (AVIA-CAP) and its members against online piracy in the region, including in-depth analysis into piracy trends in the region, and the harms caused to both consumers and the potentially wider impact from piracy services that are essentially illegal operations run by criminals.
Original press release
Singapore’s ongoing blocking of pirate sites protects consumers and prevents potentially wider harm. Press release. February 17 2025. Asia Video Industry Association Coalition Against Piracy (AVIA-CAP)
Why it matters
“There is now extensive evidence of the links between piracy services and consumer harm, including risks of malware infection, identity theft and viruses. A 2024 study showed that consumers accessing pirate sites in Singapore are nearly four times more likely to be exposed to a cyber threat compared to a mainstream site and blocking access to piracy services is a great step in preventing this type of harm,” said CAP’s General Manager, Matt Cheetham.
That study found that the average likelihood of encountering a cyber threat on these sites was 48%, meaning that consumers had a 48 in 100 average chance of encountering a cyber threat when visiting any of these sites.
Research released in October 2024 about cybersecurity risks from illecit streaming devices in Taiwan indicated “that piracy services could have wider potential harm, with illegal streaming devices (ISDs) shown to be riddled with compromised apps and pre-installed malware targeting personal data,” said Mr. Cheetham. “These devices can be remotely hijacked and potentially used for more widespread attacks on other devices and broader networks.”
