Chinese Illegal K-Drama Streaming Websites Shut Down By SBS
SBS has successfully closed three illegal video streaming sites in China that leaked K-dramas without permission
On May 29th, SBS announced that they had successfully shut down three illegal streaming websites, including FantaTV (formerly known as BLACKVOD).
In August last year, SBS worked with Chinese authorities to conduct a criminal crackdown on FantaTV, a website that distributed Korean content without permission, to prevent copyright infringement. As a result, a total of three websites, Fanta TV, ItaewonTV, and ColaTV, were closed one after another in May this year after a server seizure. Currently, the three websites are not accessible and all the servers have been completely shut down.
FantaTV was an illegal streaming site based in China that provided unauthorized access to Korean broadcast content to generate advertising revenue. The site always uploaded Korean content within 24 hours of its airing. Similar to NunuTV, which became an issue in Korea in April last year, FantaTV avoids crackdowns by continuously changing IPs and URLs.
SBS stated, “Our response this time is an example of cracking down on illegal Korean streaming sites operating with servers based in China. We hope that this will set a good precedent for cracking down on other streaming sites with servers oversea”, adding “Even after shutting down FantaTV, there are still many other similar illegal streaming websites in China, so we are requiring continuous interest and cooperation from the government”.
Meanwhile, the government has launched the “K-Content Illegal Distribution Eradication Council” to take action against the illegal distribution of K-content started by NunuTV in 2023. However, some illegal streaming sites with overseas servers have been avoiding crackdowns by regularly changing their URL addresses. Therefore, the government should pour more effort into punishing illegal distributors and protect the value of K-content.
