On the surface, these online offers look harmless: “Over 5,000 TV channels,” “Unlimited sports, movies, and series,” “Only €5 per month.” Behind them, however, lies a thriving illegal market that, according to authorities and licensed operators, not only creates unfair competition but also causes significant economic damage due to tax evasion.
Installation is quick and online, requiring little paperwork, contracts, or documentation. Services range from hundreds of TV channels to other multimedia content, with annual subscription prices between €30 and €60. Dozens of online sellers in Kosovo offer these illegal IPTV services.
A Global Crackdown
At the end of January, Kosovo became part of a global police operation against illegal IPTV networks. The operation, called “Switch Off,” targeted networks spanning Italy, the UK, Spain, Kosovo, Romania, Canada, India, South Korea, and the UAE, with 31 suspects identified worldwide.
Kosovo’s Special Prosecution confirmed that a citizen was arrested as part of the investigation, but provided no further details.
Hidden Sellers and Public Offers
Investigations by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) found dozens of illegal IPTV ads online in Kosovo. Some were openly shared with phone numbers, email addresses, or even contact names. Offers were sometimes sent as direct messages to citizens’ phones.
One seller claimed to provide “almost all global channels”, advertising content like films and series “similar to Netflix.” Installation is done via an app on a smartphone or smart TV, and a 24-hour free trial is often offered. Some consumers admitted they use these services because they are cheaper and offer all desired content under a single subscription.
How the Illegal Industry Works
Cybersecurity expert Korab Keqekolla explained that illegal IPTV services copy content from licensed operators or purchase stolen content from the black market for resale in Kosovo. Many local resellers do not operate the technical infrastructure themselves but buy ready-made IPTV packages from abroad, including Africa and Europe, and resell them locally.
“The list advertised for Kosovo clients mostly consists of national channels, although the source includes global content,” said Keqekolla.
Institutional Response
Kosovo’s Independent Media Commission (KPM) oversees IPTV licensing. Currently, 13 operators are licensed. KPM emphasizes that offering IPTV without a license is illegal and that they monitor the market in cooperation with police and prosecutors. However, identifying illegal operators is difficult since servers are often located outside Kosovo.
Over the past five years, KPM identified 19 cases of illegal IPTV operations, six of which applied for licensing.
Licensed operators, including Artmotion and IPKO, warn that illegal IPTV seriously undermines the market. Artmotion has filed nine criminal complaints involving 95 illegal operators between 2024 and 2025.
“There is institutional will to address these cases, but practical effectiveness is limited and not proportional to the damage caused by illegal IPTV,” said Artmotion’s legal director, Sotir Sokoli.
IPKO similarly noted that illegal operators benefit from the same content without paying, creating unfair competition.
A Growing European Phenomenon
According to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), illegal IPTV is on the rise, though precise measurement is challenging. A 2022 report by the Alliance Against Audiovisual Piracy (AAPA) estimated that illegal IPTV generated over €1 billion in revenue while causing €3 billion in losses to legal operators, affecting around 17 million Europeans.
Why Enforcement is Difficult
Experts say that illegal IPTV is harder to track than regular online piracy because it operates via managed networks that mimic legal services. Keqekolla added that the international nature of the crime—servers, payments, and resellers often in different countries—makes enforcement difficult.
“Still, law enforcement can trace local resellers through online ads and phone numbers,” he noted.
Kosovo police have not disclosed detailed data on IPTV cases in recent years but have registered ten copyright infringement cases since 2021, primarily linked to illegal IPTV sales.
