In 2009, 40 million “gray market” satellite dishes were shipped in China.  These satellite dishes are banned in cities and are meant solely for use in rural areas.  However, many urban customers purchase these dishes on the black market in order to avoid paying cable fees.

In addition, in 2008 more than 10 million satellite dishes that can receive foreign broadcasts that are banned in China was shipped to the country.

Source: Owen Fletcher, “Illegal Satellite TV in China Brings CNN to the Masses,” PC World, April 22, 2010.

Picking up illegal signals from modified satellites costs the Canada economy up to $300 Canadian dollars ($278 million US), according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Source: RCMP, “Really good deal? Might not be real,” Intellectual Property Crime, accessed on August 1, 2009.

According to a report in the Toronto Star, there are two million illegal satellite connections in the United States and Canada that are pirated content from satellite companies. 

Back in 2001, satellite piracy in Canada was estimated to be costing the industry $1 billion. 

Source: Tony Wong, “Satellite piracy costing TV industry billions,” Toronto Star, March 15, 2009. 

Source: Lenie Lectura, Losses from cable-TV piracy may hit P7B in ’08 with only 2% growth in paying subscribers, Business Mirror.

Source: AME Info, May 20, 2008.

Cable operators in Asia lost $1.75 billion to piracy in 2008.

Satellite piracy in Canada costs $278 million.

Cable and Satellite Piracy in the United States costs 6.5 Billion.

Source:  Asia: CASBAA, “Digital Deployment: Asia-Pacific Pay-TV Industry Study,” October 2008, available at http://www.casbaa.com/anti_piracy.aspx.

Source:Canada:  RCMP, “Really good deal? Might not be real,” Intellectual Property Crime, accessed on August 1, 2009.

Source: United States: Benny Evangelista, “Pay-TV piracy: Decryptions is costing the satellite and cable TV industry $6.5 billion,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 2002.