In the summer of 2017, a large coalition of major entertainment industry companies announced a new phase in the war against piracy.
With a focus on web-based illegal streaming, pirate IPTV, and associated apps, the Alliance of Creativity and Entertainment embarked on a mission to protect its members rights.
Through the MPA, Hollywood studios including Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, and MGM teamed with streaming giants Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu. Content-creating broadcasters Sky and BBC were also in the mix but ACE had even bigger plans.
At launch in 2017, ACE had 30 members but with steady growth over the past few years and the addition of two new members this week, the anti-piracy coalition now boasts 39 member companies, all of them determined to disrupt illegal streaming piracy.
ACE Adds First Two Asia-Based Companies
Hong Kong-based video streaming platform Viu is available in seven Asian markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar. Operating ad-supported and premium tiers, Via also produces original content under its ‘Viu Original’ branding.
True Visions is Thailand’s leader cable satellite TV provider and in 2020 teamed with the MPA to shut down three pirate streaming sites. More recently it worked with ACE to shut down We-Play, one of the largest piracy portals in Thailand.
Both are now members of the ACE coalition, swelling its ranks to 39 companie.
MPA/ACE Chief Welcomes New Members
Charles Rivkin, Chairman of ACE and the Motion Picture Association, says the addition of Viu and True Visions is the beginning of an ACE expansion to include local media companies from key markets around the world.
“By growing ACE’s footprint throughout the APAC region, we are building new relationships with local law enforcement authorities and other key partners in our ongoing effort to shut down piracy operations around the world,” Rivkin says.
“These new members further strengthen ACE’s global reach and collective approach to disrupting a piracy ecosystem that harms the creative economy worldwide.”
Sompan Charumilinda, Executive Vice Chairman of True Visions, believes that joining ACE will allow his company to tackle piracy more effectively and improve its reputation overseas.
“We want to support Thai people, as they compete in a globalized marketplace, by protecting their work with strong intellectual property rights stewardship,” he says.
“We are pleased to be the first member of ACE based in Thailand and look forward to helping drive important actions in this market that will improve the piracy landscape and pave the way for a brighter future.”
Janice Lee, CEO of Viu, notes that one of her company’s goals is to encourage users of piracy sites to move to legal services like Viu. The disruption services offered by ACE will help Viu to achieve that.
“As one of the leading video-on-demand services offering premium Asian content, we recognize the need to address the piracy that is widespread in our markets,” Lee says.
“We are committed to ensuring that consumers move from illegal piracy sites to legal options like Viu by providing an unparalleled viewer experience and investing in the creative ecosystem.”
These two new members of ACE mark the coalition’s official expansion into Asia. In April 2022, ACE also broke new ground with the addition of sports broadcaster beIN SPORTS and a promise to disrupt piracy of live sporting events. More sports rightsholders are expected to join ACE in the coming months.
