LOS ANGELES – The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading antipiracy coalition, today announced a major victory in its fight against content piracy in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region with the shutdown of Cima4U, an illegal streaming service based in Giza, Egypt.
Cima4U operated 498 domains that enabled users to stream online content illegally. Through its various domains, the site attracted over 30 million combined monthly visits from 11.6 million unique visitors. The illegal service offered a VOD library of more than 165,000 movie and TV series titles in Arabic and original versions, affecting all ACE members.
“The shutdown of Cima4U is a significant blow to the entire piracy landscape in the MENA region,” said Jan van Voorn, Executive Vice President and Chief of Global Content Protection for the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Head of ACE. “With the assistance and expertise of the Egyptian police, we have been laser-focused on criminal operators in MENA for some time and successfully shut down numerous illegal operations there in the past year alone. The sheer scale of Cima4U made it particularly notable, and this takedown proves that even the most audacious infringers will face the law.”
ACE members MBC GROUP and OSN, two of the leading broadcast companies in the MENA region, applauded the shutdown.
Fiona Robertson, General Counsel at OSN, said, “OSN continues to be committed to fighting TV content piracy in the region through technical disruptions, on-ground support, and in-market enforcement actions.” She added, “We are happy to collaborate with ACE and other members in the industry to help create awareness within our user communities.”
The impact on OSN and MBC was significant, as traffic to Cima4U originated primarily from Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, major media markets for both companies.
“Combating piracy is vital for the entertainment industry as it safeguards creative content, fosters innovation, and ensures fair compensation for artists, creating a sustainable ecosystem,” said Natasha Matos-Hemingway, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer VOD at MBC GROUP. “We are grateful for the continuous partnership with ACE in protecting our content.”
About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association’s content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV+, NBCUniversal, Netflix Studios LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Warner Bros. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. For more information, visit www.alliance4creativity.com.
About MBC GROUP
MBC GROUP is the largest and leading media company in the Middle East & North Africa region that enriches people’s lives through information, interaction and entertainment. In 2002, nearly a decade after the launch of MBC1 in London, in 1991, MBC GROUP moved its headquarters to Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates. In September 2022, MBC GROUP launched its new headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Today, MBC GROUP includes over 17 leading TV channels: MBC1 (general family entertainment); MBC2 & MBC MAX (24-hour western movies); MBC3 (children’s edutainment with a mix of both local productions and western acquisitions); MBC4 (entertainment for young families with a female-focus); MBC ACTION (an indigenous adrenaline-packed channel targeting young males with local and homegrown productions); MBC VARIETY (Western films and general entertainment with uninterrupted broadcasting); MBC DRAMA (24/7 Arabic drama) & MBC+ DRAMA (a joint pay-TV channel between MBC and OSN); MBC PERSIA (general family entertainment dubbed and subtitled in Farsi); WANASAH (24-hour Arabic music channel); MBC MASR & MBC MASR2 (general family entertainment geared towards the Egyptian family); MBC BOLLYWOOD (delivering the freshest in Bollywood content geared towards the region via an Arabized interface); MBC USA (on “Dish Network” in the US); MBC IRAQ (a premium channel aimed at the entire Iraqi family), MBC5 (new satellite channel dedicated to the Maghreb); all of them benefit from MBC STUDIOS which produces the region’s most compelling premium content for cinema, television and on-demand platforms. MBC GROUP also includes two FM radio stations: MBC FM (Gulf music) and Panorama FM (contemporary Arabic hit music).
Furthermore, part of MBC GROUP is Shahid, the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform, home to highly rated original productions from the Arab world, a wide range of exclusive movies and premieres, as well as the top watched live Arab TV channels.
About OSN
OSN is the leading service for premium entertainment servicing the MENA region in 22 countries featuring exclusive and in-demand premium global and local hit tv series and films. OSN delivers content across multiple divisions: OSN+, OSNtv, and b2b offerings in every market. Home to the most compelling content from around the world, OSN spearheads premium content including Western, Arabic, Turkish and more across divisions, distinctively known for broadcasting the latest content on the same day as the US, including popular series, blockbuster movies, and the best in kids and lifestyle programming.
OSN’s ambition is to deliver entertainment everywhere for everyone, which is informed by the company’s three key pillars: A customer-first approach, unrivaled exclusive content, and unbeatable value. By seamlessly bringing together Global Network Partnerships, Studios, and Originals, along with reimagined Linear channels, OSN provides an ecosystem of entertainment.
