Man jailed after making almost £1m through illegal streaming

Milan Ibrahim, aged 68, of Chorley, has been sentenced to 6.5 years' imprisonment for running an illegal streaming business that generated £980,812 in criminal profits. 

Ibrahim was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at Preston Crown Court and will now face proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover funds obtained through the sale of illegal IPTV services. 

The operation, led by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, has disrupted thousands of illegal streams accessed across the UK through criminal enterprise. 

PIPCU said the business supplied illegal IPTV services to customers in the UK and overseas, particularly targeting British expats living abroad. Ibrahim unlawfully captured and redistributed television broadcasts from major rights holders, including the BBC, ITV, Sky, Premier League, and the Motion Pictures Association. He then converted the content into formats suitable for IPTV streaming and sold subscriptions to customers around the world. 

The investigation revealed that the business operated on 80 servers from premises in Chorley and generated £980,812 over three years. All 80 servers have now been seized and shut down, significantly disrupting the operation's ability to provide illegal streaming services. 

Emma Slater, Investigation Officer from PIPCU at the City of London Police, said: "It is important that PIPCU pursues criminals who seek to profit from the supply of illegal IPTV services. These offenders show complete disregard for rights holders and the actors, creative artists, technical specialists, and support staff involved in producing the content they unlawfully distribute. Illegal IPTV is not a victimless crime. The financial harm caused by these services impacts the entire creative industry. 

Stefan Sergot, Director of Legal Enforcement at Premier League, commented: “This is a significant outcome against one of the UK’s most prominent and long-standing suppliers of pirate services. Milan Ibrahim repeatedly sold content belonging to the Premier League and other rights holders for his own financial gain. His sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending and sends a clear message that those who profit from piracy will ultimately be held accountable.” 

Matt Hibbert, Group Director Anti-Piracy at Sky, concluded: "This case highlights the persistence, dedication, and close collaboration required to tackle sophisticated criminal IPTV operations. We commend the PIPCU and all partners involved for their commitment to bringing this offender to justice.” 

IBC365 and Verimatrix recently hosted a webinar named Beating the Clock: The Live Piracy Shadow Economy and the Race for Real-Time Response to explore the latest techniques propelling preventive, real-time strategies against modern piracy. Discover more here.