Illegal IPTVs are back online thanks to some new platforms and servers. The links of the matches exchanged on WhatsApp
The operation Eclipse of the Postal Police and the Guardia di Finanza of last week seemed to have dealt a decisive blow to illegal IPTV, the online platforms that offer the vision of subscription services (Sky, Netflix, DaZn, Infinity) at a reduced price: 12 or 15 euros for the complete package. The investigation of the Italian law enforcement, assisted by the European Agencies Eurojust and Europol, led to the shutdown of the platform "Xstream Codes", used by over 5 million Italian users.
It seemed a death blow to the market of IPTV "pezzotte" (slang term to define the abusive platforms that retransmit the analog signal of Sky and similar services) and instead the platforms are already back active. The news comes from "Il Mattino" of Naples that in an article explained that already on Sunday, September 22 for the match Lecce - Naples were active new subscriptions and new platforms. The managers of the illegal market of IPTV have shared on WhatsApp the new link to access the service and the market of IPTV pezzotte has started again as if nothing had happened.
What are the illegal IPTV
IPTV is the acronym of Internet Protocol TV and is a protocol that allows the viewing of television channels on the Internet. Basically, this technology has nothing illegal about it, since it is used by many online services to broadcast their programs. Unfortunately, some hackers have managed to exploit IPTV to illegally broadcast the signal of subscription services such as Sky, Netflix, DAZN and Infinity.
Thanks to WhatsApp and Telegram groups, the various illegal IPTV platforms have spread in a very short time and started earning thousands every month. The cost of the subscription is derisory compared to those of the official services: with 12-15 euros you get the complete package and the possibility to watch even paid channels.
Pirated TV, back online
The investigation of the Guardia di Finanza went to hit the heart of this business, shutting down the best known platform and with the largest number of subscribers: Xstream Codes. According to the Guardia di Finanza, at the moment the platform was deactivated, there were about 700 thousand connected users and in Italy alone the phenomenon concerns more than 5 million people.
Users who from the day of the blitz should no longer have had access to pirated TV. It is the newspaper "Il Mattino" that published the news of the return of illegal IPTV services: since Sunday, September 22, users have been able to watch the match Lecce - Napoli. The managers of the "pezzotte" IPTV have shared on Facebook the URL of the new service and a guide explaining how to use it. In a short time the accesses have been thousands. It was enough for the leaders of the pirate TVs to change servers and take them to countries where it is more difficult for the Police to investigate. The managers have also reassured users about possible criminal actions by the Police, assuring that the incoming and outgoing traffic from illegal IPTVs is encrypted and cannot be deciphered. We will see if in the next weeks the Postal Police will go back to work again obscuring the platforms born in these days.