Asian pay-TV hit by £1bn piracy

The Sopranos is one of the most widely pirated shows online

The pay-TV industry in Asia is expected to lose more than $1 billion (£560m) due to piracy in the coming year, according to a report.

Piracy in the region is expected to rise by 11% this year, according to Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia.

India accounts for more than half the losses, the industry group said.

"The problem is far from under control," said Simon Twiston Davies, chief executive of the group.

"There are more markets showing negative development than those having success in counteracting pay-TV piracy," he said.

The piracy usually involved set-top boxes with breached security systems, illegal cable connections and rogue cable operators.

Governments in the region are expected to lose $155m (£86m) this year in taxes, licence fees and other revenues as a result of pirated cable and satellite television, said the study, which was co-authored by investment bank CLSA.

Theft

Total losses in India are expected to rise by 19% to $670m (£375m) this year, due largely to theft of programming on a wholesale basis, the study found.

Piracy losses from China were not included in the report, because it is seen as having a negligible genuine pay-TV market by some industry standards, the report said.

The study covered all forms of pay-TV in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Both Singapore and Malaysia saw declining piracy percentages from 2004, the report found.