The Association of Commercial Television Stations announced the successful shutdown of the pirate platform Bitplay, which illegally offered premium sports channels and series. The shutdown was based on a criminal complaint and subsequent investigation by the Czech Police, which identified the operator.
The Bitplay pirate service was identified by the association in mid-2025, with the operator failing to respond to previous calls to cease its illegal activities. The platform operated on several domains, such as bitplay.my and starstreams.pro, and focused primarily on Czech, Slovak and Polish users. It was primarily promoted on social networks, where it attracted users with live broadcasts of sporting events without the appropriate licences.
"The action against Bitplay is another step in our systematic approach to combating the illegal distribution of our content," said Marek Singer, president of AKTV, commenting on the case. According to him, illegal streaming harms not only broadcast rights holders and competition partners, but also the athletes and clubs themselves. Singer emphasised that investment in quality content is only possible in an environment where copyright is respected.
In addition to direct financial damage to copyright holders, the use of such services poses a significant security risk to end users themselves. Among the greatest threats are the misuse of personal or payment data and the unintentional downloading of malicious software such as viruses or malware. AKTV has therefore long focused on educational activities and operates the information website NormalneLegalne.cz.
The Association of Commercial Television Stations represents the most important private broadcasters in Czechia and defends their common interests in legislation and in the fight against piracy. It is a key partner for state administration and EU institutions and actively participates in the preparation of personal data protection laws. In addition to legal protection, it supports television as an advertising medium and uses the ScreenVoice.cz website to communicate with agencies.
Source: mediaguru.cz
