OSN, which spearheads the region’s Anti-Piracy Coalition with fellow satellite broadcaster MBC, attracted 25 officials to the workshop, which also looked at ways to identify different forms of copyright theft such as illegal cable networks, the use of hybrid decoders and digital piracy.

OSN workshop leaders also demonstrated how television piracy stifles the growth of creative industries and the sectors jobs, as it leads to lower corporate investment – both financially and in resources.

“It is extremely important to stay one-step up in the game against pirates by understanding how they utilise digital technology and new platforms to violate the intellectual property rights of legal content providers,” said David Butorac, CEO, OSN.

“The workshop was aimed at strengthening awareness among all stakeholders on the various aspects of TV piracy and enabling them to identify and take prompt action against the perpetuators.”

The Information Affairs Authority of Bahrain has undertaken raids at dealer offices, in hotels and at worker camps – confiscating equipment, servers and illegal decoders that are used primarily to pirate South Asian satellite television content. South Asian services Dish TV, TataSky, Sun Direct, Airtel Digital and Reliance decoders are all illegal in the Middle East and North Africa.

OSN says it plans to extend the anti-piracy education programme to other key markets in the region including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman.