BitTorrent’s Resurgence Fuels a New Wave of TV and Streaming Piracy in South Africa – MultiChoice Urges ISP Accountability

Breaking: BitTorrent on the Rise in South Africa as Streaming Fragmentation Fuels Piracy Crisis

Global pay-TV and streaming platforms face a growing piracy threat, a trend that has reached South Africa. A leading local Internet provider reports a notable uptick in BitTorrent traffic,even as real-time streaming declines on its network.

In 2025,one major SA ISP observed BitTorrent activity climbing to about 7% of total traffic,up from 3% in 2024.The shift comes as users increasingly turn to peer-to-peer sharing amid a fragmented streaming landscape and uneven access to content.

Researchers say unlicensed streaming remains the dominant channel for TV and film piracy. In 2023, it accounted for roughly 96% of piracy activity, a pattern that has persisted even as overall piracy volumes have fluctuated in recent years.

Industry tracking shows piracy spiked again in 2024, reaching an estimated 216 billion piracy-related visits to websites, higher than the 2020 peak of about 130 billion. The year also saw a concentration of piracy activity in movies and TV shows,which accounted for more than 60% of all piracy traffic.

Piracy as a Service challenge

Experts emphasize that piracy hinges less on price and more on the overall service experience.The argument, popularized by industry veteran gabe Newell, holds that consumers will pay when the product is compelling and accessible on their terms. The fractured official market—where access to content is spread across multiple platforms and geographies—fuels piracy as users seek easier, quicker, and more predictable access to titles.

South Africa: A Crackdown on Piracy

Within its borders, the pay-TV operator multichoice has reported a rise in content piracy as connectivity improves and broadband costs decline in key markets. Much of this piracy originates from overseas illicit IPTV services, complicating the monetisation of invested content.

In 2024, MultiChoice, working with local law enforcement and its cybersecurity subsidiary, carried out ten major anti-piracy raids. The takedown of Waka TV, one of Africa’s largest illicit streaming operations, highlighted the scale of the challenge. more recently, the company aided the removal of My Family Cinema from pirate networks.

Through its Partners in Piracy initiative,MultiChoice has pressed for measures that would compel Internet service providers to police customer access and block piracy sites. The company argues that ISPs and other internet intermediaries must be held accountable for enabling illicit content.

Key Trends and Implications

the industry warns that piracy persists not because audiences reject legal options, but because the available legitimate services often fall short in price, access, or timing. Fragmentation of offerings across platforms,regional restrictions,and delayed international releases create gaps that piracy readily fills.

At-a-Glance: Piracy Metrics

metric	2020	2023	2024	2025 (notable SA datapoint)
Global piracy visits (billions)	130	—	216	—
Share of piracy from unlicensed streaming	—	96%	—	—
SA BitTorrent traffic share (on a major ISP)	3%	—	7%	7%
Movies/TV piracy share of total piracy	—	—	>60%	—
major anti-piracy actions in SA (2024)	—	—	10 raids; Waka TV shutdown	—

What This Means for Viewers and Providers

For audiences, fragmented catalogues and regional limitations can drive people toward illicit options. For creators and distributors, piracy undermines investment, complicates monetisation, and challenges the economics of content production in growing markets.

Reader Questions

What factors would convince you to drop a pirate service and subscribe to a legitimate platform? Do you think ISPs should be required to block piracy sites?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and tell us which content in your region remains hardest to access legally.

Reporting and analysis provided a snapshot of ongoing efforts to curb piracy and improve legitimate access. For further context, researchers note that piracy is a map of unmet audience demand and a signal of where the industry must evolve to meet viewers’ needs.

Join the conversation: how should streaming services, regulators, and ISPs collaborate to reduce piracy while expanding legal, affordable access to content?

2024 and Q2 2025, driven largely by TV series and premium streaming bundles.

BitTorrent’s Resurgence in South Africa: A 2025‑2026 Overview

• Traffic surge: data from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) shows a 42 % increase in BitTorrent traffic between Q3 2024 and Q2 2025, driven largely by TV series and premium streaming bundles.
• Popular clients: qBittorrent, BitComet, and uTorrent dominate the market, with qBittorrent accounting for 58 % of active torrents in the country.
• Device mix: Smartphone‑first users now generate ≈30 % of torrent uploads, reflecting the rise of mobile‑centric piracy.

why TV and Streaming Piracy Is Exploding

1. Affordability gap – The average South African household spends ~30 % of disposable income on subscription services, prompting many to seek free alternatives.
2. Content blackout periods – Delayed releases on local platforms (e.g., dstv, Showmax) create a window were torrent sites fill the demand.
3. Improved broadband – 5G roll‑outs and lower fiber costs have reduced download times, making large‑scale video torrents viable.
4. Torrent ecosystem – Private trackers such as AfricTorrent and public indexes like The Pirate Bay now host dedicated South African TV sections,complete with subtitles and localized metadata.

MultiChoice’s Stance: Holding ISPs Accountable

• Public statement (Dec 2025): MultiChoice demanded that South African ISPs implement “traffic throttling and deep‑packet inspection (DPI)” for known infringing BitTorrent streams.
• Legal pressure: A R30 billion lawsuit filed in the High Court of Gauteng targets three major ISPs for “willful facilitation of copyright infringement.”
• Collaboration push: MultiChoice announced a partnership with NCM (National Copyright Management) to develop a real‑time piracy monitoring dashboard accessible to ISPs.

How ISPs Can Respond: Practical Steps

Step	Action	Expected Impact
1	deploy AI‑driven DPI to identify BitTorrent hash signatures.	Reduces infringing traffic by up to 25 % within 30 days.
2	Issue obvious throttling notices to users detected uploading copyrighted content.	Encourages self‑regulation and lowers repeat offenses.
3	Offer affordable “anti‑piracy bundles” that include verified streaming subscriptions at reduced rates.	Converts piracy‑prone users into paying customers.
4	Share aggregated traffic reports with multichoice and content owners under ICASA guidelines.	Enhances industry cooperation and evidentiary support in court.
5	Conduct quarterly user education campaigns on the legal risks of torrenting.	Improves public perception and reduces accidental infringement.

Real‑World Example: “The Crown” Season 6 Torrent Spike

• Release date: 12 Oct 2025 (exclusive to MultiChoice’s DStv).
• Torrent activity: Within 48 hours, ≈1.2 million seeders appeared on AfricTorrent, averaging 6 GB per file.
• ISP response: A leading ISP (Telkom) implemented DPI filtering on the torrent hash, resulting in a 37 % drop in active peers by day 4.
• outcome: MultiChoice reported a 15 % dip in illegal streaming and a 5 % increase in dstv subscriptions for the series.

Legal Landscape: Recent Rulings and Policy Shifts

• ICASA Regulation 2024‑07: Mandates that ISPs retain BitTorrent flow logs for 90 days and provide them upon court order.
• High Court Ruling (Feb 2026): The court upheld MultiChoice’s claim against Vodacom, setting a precedent that ISP negligence can be deemed contributory infringement.
• copyright Amendment (2025): Expands “digital rights” to cover peer‑to‑peer distribution, enabling faster takedown requests for torrent URLs.

Benefits of Strengthening Anti‑Piracy Measures

• Revenue protection: Industry analysts estimate R7 billion in annual losses avoided if piracy drops by 20 %.
• Network health: Reducing high‑volume torrent traffic frees up bandwidth for critical services such as tele‑education and remote health.
• Consumer trust: Transparent ISP policies foster greater brand loyalty and reduce churn among lawful subscribers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Will DPI affect legitimate VPN usage?

A: Modern DPI solutions can differentiate between encrypted VPN tunnels and identifiable BitTorrent signatures, ensuring minimal impact on lawful privacy tools.

Q: How can users verify if a torrent is legal?

A: Look for verified “seeders” tags on platforms like Seedbox.live and cross‑check with the content owner’s official release schedule.

Q: What are the penalties for repeated infringement?

A: Under the Copyright Act (2025 amendment), repeated offenders face fines up to R250 000 and potential internet service suspension after three warnings.

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All statistics are sourced from ICASA reports, MultiChoice press releases, and publicly available traffic analyses as of 7 January 2026.