Singapore Streaming Piracy Site Blocking Case

In Singapore a court order was obtained by BBC Studios, the Premier League, and DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga in a legal action supported by the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA). It targeted 22 major piracy websites covering a total of 53 domains. The civil court order granted in January by Singapore's High Court blocked the 53 illegal streaming domains.

Singapore’s uses ISP-level site blocking to disrupt access to unlicensed sports and entertainment streams. Given most piracy is initiated outside Singapore, the order reflects an enforcement strategy that targets the infrastructure enabling piracy rather than individual users. By compelling ISPs to restrict access to identified domains, rightsholders aim to reduce the scale and convenience of illicit streaming services that can rapidly migrate between URLs and mirror sites. AVIA has argued that repeated blocking rounds are necessary because operators routinely reappear under new domains soon after earlier injunctions.

Singapore is probably unique in Asia in using “dynamic” or rolling blocking orders to keep pace with fast-changing pirate networks. The aim is to enable the legitimate broadcasters and streaming platforms, particularly for premium live content such as football and combat sports, to distribute free from contemporaneous piracy which undermines subscription revenues.

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