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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchEuropean authorities announced on November 27, 2024, that they had disrupted an alleged multinational illegal IPTV network. The operation identified 102 suspects, led to 11 arrests in Croatia, and involved more than 112 searches. Investigators said the service offered over 2,500 television channels, films and series to more than 22 million users worldwide. About €1.6 million in cryptocurrency, €40,000 in cash, servers, equipment and domains were seized or taken down.
The €1.6 million was cryptocurrency seized during the operation—not the network’s total revenue or a court-ordered payment to copyright holders. The arrests and allegations remain subject to criminal proceedings.
What happened in the November 2024 operation?
The international action took place on November 26, 2024, when authorities seized and shut down servers hosting the services, according to Eurojust. Europol and Eurojust publicly announced the results the following day.
Authorities described the target as an alleged illegal IPTV and streaming network distributing protected films, television series and more than 2,500 channels, including sports programming. Europol said the service reached more than 22 million users worldwide. That wording does not establish that all 22 million were paying subscribers or watching simultaneously.
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The case involved suspected intellectual-property and copyright offenses, money laundering and cybercrime. Arrests, searches and seizures are enforcement results, not findings that every suspect is guilty; defendants remain presumed innocent unless convicted.
The operation by the numbers
| Enforcement result | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Suspects identified | 102 |
| Arrests | 11 |
| House searches | More than 112 |
| Servers seized | At least 29 |
| Domains taken down | 100 |
| IPTV devices or equipment seized | 270 |
| Resellers identified | More than 560 |
| Television channels allegedly distributed without authorization | More than 2,500 |
| Users worldwide | More than 22 million, according to Europol |
| Cryptocurrency seized | Approximately €1.6 million |
| Cash seized | €40,000 |
Europol also reported seizures of drugs and weapons, but its summary does not provide a complete itemized list or establish that every item was directly connected to the streaming business. The operational figures are reported in Europol’s release.
How the alleged IPTV network worked
IPTV technology is not itself illegal
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is simply a way to deliver television over internet networks. Legality depends on licensing: a provider can lawfully distribute channels and programs when it has permission from the relevant broadcasters and rights holders. The case targeted alleged unauthorized redistribution, not IPTV technology as a whole.
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Investigators’ allegations
Eurojust said investigators alleged that the suspects obtained programming from legitimate streaming services and redistributed it through infrastructure spanning several jurisdictions. They allegedly used encrypted messaging, false identities for phone numbers, payment cards, server rentals and television subscriptions, and cryptocurrency to move proceeds.
A reseller layer reportedly helped market subscriptions in different places. That structure can separate customer-facing websites from servers carrying or relaying content, making the operation more difficult to investigate. These details are allegations and investigative findings described by authorities, not a proven trial record.
Where authorities acted
Europol listed Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom among the countries involved in the operation. Eurojust separately said searches took place in Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, the United Kingdom and China. The lists are not identical because one describes the broader cooperation framework while the other identifies locations specifically reported for searches.
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Croatian authorities arrested the 11 suspects, according to Eurojust. Europol and Eurojust coordinated the cross-border law-enforcement and judicial work.
What the financial figures mean
| Figure | What it represents | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Approximately €1.6 million | Cryptocurrency seized during the operation | Reported enforcement seizure |
| €40,000 | Cash seized | Reported enforcement seizure |
| More than €250 million per month | Alleged illegal profits | Eurojust-reported authority estimate, not an adjudicated revenue figure |
| Approximately €10 billion | Estimated economic damage to copyright holders | Eurojust-reported estimate, not a court finding |
Eurojust reported the profit and damage estimates in its account of the case. They should not be read as proof that operators earned €250 million every month, that €10 billion was definitively lost, or that the seized cryptocurrency represented the network’s profits.
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The official announcements focus on operators, resellers, infrastructure and assets. They do not say that all viewers were identified, arrested or charged, and the 22 million-user estimate is not a suspect count.
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- Seizing servers and domains can make the named services unavailable.
- Legal consequences for a viewer depend on the country, the person’s conduct and the evidence available.
- Operating a service, reselling subscriptions, redistributing broadcasts and merely visiting a website are different acts under many legal systems.
- The releases do not establish that millions of viewers face prosecution because of this operation.
Anyone facing a jurisdiction-specific legal question should consult a qualified lawyer rather than infer an outcome from the enforcement announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why unauthorized IPTV can be risky for consumers
A cheap subscription is not proof of infringement, but unusually low prices for premium sports and movie rights are a warning sign. Unlicensed services can also disappear without refunds and may expose customers to questionable payment practices, aggressive advertising, credential theft or malware. Those are general risks of illicit online services; the official releases do not establish that every user of this particular network experienced them.
Checks before paying for a service
- Look for a clearly identified company and a verifiable relationship with the broadcasters or rights holders whose channels it sells.
- Check for understandable terms of service, privacy information, refund rules and lawful customer support.
- Be cautious of reseller-only contact, constantly changing domains, anonymous payment demands or claims to provide nearly every premium channel for an implausibly low fee.
- Prefer services promoted by established broadcasters and licensed distributors.
What the takedown shows about modern piracy
The case illustrates why online piracy investigations combine copyright enforcement with financial and cybercrime work. A single customer brand can rely on cross-border servers, reseller networks, domain registrations, encrypted communications and cryptocurrency transactions. Europol and the EU Intellectual Property Office discuss this wider ecosystem in Uncovering the ecosystem of intellectual property crime.
It also shows the limits of a takedown. The action disrupted the infrastructure identified by investigators, but the official releases do not establish that every mirror, reseller or successor service was permanently eliminated.
What remains unknown
- The official releases do not identify every alleged service, its full ownership structure or all 102 suspects.
- They do not establish whether the more than 22 million users were active, paying or simply had access.
- The €250 million monthly-profit and €10 billion damage figures remain authority estimates unless later court evidence proves them.
- The final legal outcomes for the 11 people arrested were not part of the November 2024 announcement.
- The releases do not say whether successor services appeared after the seizures.
This case should also be kept separate from later operations. Eurojust announced a different illegal-streaming case on February 3, 2026, at this link, and Europol described another operation on June 3, 2026, at this link. Neither is the November 2024 €1.6 million seizure.
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