A cybercrime unit searched the operators behind it Digital TV IPTV Service following a DirecTV piracy complaint.

A legal complaint filed by DirecTV in Argentina has led to police action against those alleged to be responsible for Digital TV, a pirated IPTV platform believed to serve around 85,000 subscribers.

Led by a local cybercrime unit headed by a local prosecutor, the operation exposed a 22-year-old IT expert as the mastermind behind the service.

Not only is the person now known to authorities, but he has also been brought to the attention of the general public through local media exposure, with Canal26 even broadcasting images of the suspect to its 4.5 million viewers.

The Alliance Against Pay Television Piracy (Alliance) appointed Jorge Bacaloni, the regional anti-piracy manager of Vrio Corp – a conglomerate of DirecTV Latin America, Sky Brasil and others – as the organization’s new president in January 2023.

Upon taking office, Bacaloni stressed the crucial role of public-private partnerships in the fight against piracy.

He insisted that the entire industry recognize this fight as a shared responsibility and act in a coordinated manner. Bacaloni acknowledged Alianza’s significant contribution, but stressed that Alianza alone cannot tackle the rapidly expanding criminal network fueled by technological advances.

Therefore, governments must support the private sector by creating favorable conditions and taking definitive measures to ensure legal certainty.

While it is uncertain when DirecTV’s anti-piracy team filed its complaint with Argentine authorities, the effective collaboration advocated by Bacaloni in June seems to be bearing fruit.

The special prosecutor Alejandro Musso in Buenos Aires led the investigation into Digital TV.

According to reports, this pirated IPTV service provided around 900 live TV channels, some exclusive to DirecTV in Latin America.

In addition, the company had an extensive VOD platform with 8,000 films and 400 TV series. Digital TV offered an enticingly cheap subscription with live football and adult channels.

After obtaining approval from the local court, law enforcement carried out raids in Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires province, as well as in Arrecifes and Chivilcoy.

A 22-year-old IT technician was arrested in Ramos Mejía and accused of being the mastermind behind Digital TV.

According to DirecTV’s preliminary research, the service had around 85,000 subscribers and the associated app, which was available for download on a leading virtual store, was downloaded over 100,000 times.

DirecTV added that the court immediately ordered the app to be blocked because the rights holders had suffered significant financial losses as a result of piracy.

Local media outlet La Nacion identified the suspect as Martin Coll, who is said to be just one member of a larger piracy network operating across Latin America.

The police managed to track down Coll by looking up his online IP addresses. In addition to the useful IP evidence, the Digital TV Android app available on Google Play also revealed the identity of the perpetrator within minutes of downloading it.

After Coll’s arrest, the media had no hesitation in releasing his full name and photos, including pictures of him handcuffed after the arrest.

Local TV channel Canal26 broadcast images of the suspect to its 4.5 million subscribers across the country.

Since the genie is out of the bottle, it won’t go back. Meanwhile, reports indicate the defendant is silent and refusing to answer questions.

Authorities have reportedly identified two other people believed to be involved in the resale of the service.

This is not the first time that well-known IPTV services have run into legal troubles or even been shut down.

For more information on this story, see the report on TorrentFreak and the original press release on Canal 26 News.

You can also watch the video below.

Legal IPTV streaming options

IPTV Wire cannot determine if unverified IPTV services, apps, websites or add-ons have the correct license.

If an IPTV service is determined to be illegal, we will notify our users immediately and update reports on our website like this to reflect that information.

Finally the The end user is responsible for all content Access is via free IPTV apps and paid services.

For more information on the legality of IPTV and everything you need to know before streaming, check out our in-depth guide below.

Is IPTV legal? Read this

For 100% verified and legit IPTV providers, see the options below:

fuboTV

fuboTV is one of the most popular paid legal IPTV providers among cable cutters around the world, especially among sports fanatics.

The best part is that fuboTV offers a 7-day free trial for new users! This means that you can easily test the service.

This IPTV service offers three different plans, with the most popular one costing $69.99/month for 115+ channels and DVR.

fuboTV review

fuboTV – Google Play Store

Philo

Philo is a solid option for those who enjoy entertainment and news channels. This service costs $20.00/month for 60+ channels and unlimited DVR.

Just like fuboTV, Philo also offers a 7-day free trial for new users! This is a must when choosing an IPTV provider.

Philo – Google Play Store

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is another popular free and legal IPTV application used by millions of cable cutters.

This free IPTV provider offers hundreds of live channels as well as thousands of movies and TV shows.

Check out our Pluto TV guide below for more information.

How to install Pluto TV APK

Pluto TV – Google Play Store

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