99 more domains associated with illegal streaming sites blocked in Singapore, says Asia Pacific video industry trade association

SINGAPORE: Internet service providers in Singapore have blocked 99 more domains associated with 30 illegal streaming sites that provided pirated content including premium sports and dramas. 

This comes after an earlier order in February which saw 30 illegal streaming sites and almost 150 associated domains blocked after an injunction granted by the High Court of Singapore, said the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

A total of 30 sites and 245 associated URLS are now blocked, CAP said in response to CNA’s queries on Wednesday (Sep 28).

In a statement last Tuesday, the coalition confirmed that under the terms of the “dynamic” injunction granted by the court in February, Internet service providers have blocked another 99 domains associated with the illegal streaming sites. 

The latest block was made on the behalf of CAP members, BBC Studios, Discovery Communications, LaLiga, the Premier League and TVB International.

The block effectively negates efforts by the illegal sites to circumvent the original order by blocking associated domains the sites would redirect to, said CAP. This also continues its ongoing campaign in Singapore and around the region against online piracy.

In an order provided by CAP, domains related to several illegal online stream sites such as SportsBay, WatchSeries, DramaCool and 123Movies were blocked. 

Some of the domain names that were blocked included:

• sportsbay.es
• watchseries.ninja
• 123movies.as

Another domain name, kissasian.fan, linked to the site KissAsian was also blocked.

When accessed by CNA, sportsbay.org was not accessible. Instead, a notice on the site stated: “Access to the website has been blocked pursuant to an Order of the High Court of Singapore.”

CAP’s General Manager Matthew Cheetham said: “This latest block once again shows the impact of an efficient and effective site blocking regime in combatting illegal streaming sites.”

According to a recent study on online content viewing behaviour in Singapore, site blocking changes consumer behaviour, said CAP. The study was commissioned by the coalition and conducted by YouGov. 

CAP said more than one-third of Singaporean consumers reported that they are spending more time watching free streaming services because of piracy streaming services being blocked by the government. More than 20 per cent said they have subscribed to legitimate services as a result of site blocking.

“Tools such as site blocking, when used efficiently and effectively, are very powerful in combatting online piracy and countering the damage and harm it causes,” added Mr Cheetham.

In an earlier statement in March, CAP said the order was obtained by its members, BBC Studios, Discovery Communications, LaLiga, the Premier League, and TVB International against illegal streaming sites that were offering access to content including premium sports and drama. 

“The order covered the greatest number of sites and domains yet sought by CAP members. Under the order, Internet service providers must disable access to these illegal sites and their associated domains,” it said. 

However, site blocking is only one part of the coalition’s strategy to combat online piracy in Singapore and around the region, it added. 

“In addition to blocking, it’s vital that all players in the content ecosystem work together to combat online piracy,” said Mr Cheetham. 

“We are pleased to see this gathering momentum around the region from industry players, governments, and intermediaries to recognise that piracy is incredibly damaging to industry and economies, and very harmful to consumers.”