NEW DELHI: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasters Association of Asia (Casbaa) has reaffirmed the urgency of addressing the issue of pay-TV piracy across the Asia Pacific as this amounted to a revenue leakage of almost $2 billion in 2009.

Despite digital deployments making pay-TV signal theft more difficult, the piracy problem remains rampant, with online services only adding to the challenges.
 
Speaking at an international seminar on copyright protection for broadcasters, Casbaa Executive Director – India Anjan Mitra said unauthorized distribution of video content is the biggest barrier to innovation and investment in the pay-TV industry, severely damaging revenues and reducing incentives to produce premium content for consumers.

The seminar was jointly organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Government of India. 
 
Mitra also presented case studies on how pay-TV content has been pirated, including the unauthorised re-broadcast of content in Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines and China.

Working through organisations such as WIPO, which is promoting a new international treaty to protect the rights of all broadcasters, Casbaa is urging industry and governments to join hands to address the issue through technology, up-to-date legal frameworks and active enforcement measures.