TV Cabo aims to eradicate piracy by end of 2007

[BGonaSTICK]

Portuguese pay-TV operator TV Cabo hopes to "completely eradicate piracy" in 2007, investing €15 million in its new anti-fraud strategy, which includes the substitution of 800,000 smart-cards of subscribers to the digital service.

The card substitution operation, which initiated at the beginning of June and should be completed by the end of August, will "completely eliminate all forms of piracy on TV Cabo’s digital base", claims the operator’s head of the security and anti-fraud unit, Ricardo Jalles Ferreira. He underlined that there will also be a strengthening of the anti-piracy task force on the ground (currently numbering 100 persons), with the aim of detecting illegalities in the analogue subscriber base which totals around 700,000 clients.

So far, the detection of irregularities has led TV Cabo to present 250 citations, revealed Ricardo Jalles Ferreira, adding that other ones will follow, both against individuals and companies. However, he pointed out that TV Cabo is primarily aiming to convince illegal viewers to regularise their situation, with “many preferring this option”.