The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal ecosystem for creative content, today welcomed United Media as its newest member.

United Media, the media arm of United Group, is a leading media company in Southeast Europe, broadcasting more than 50 channels on several platforms.

Local and international cooperation is key to tackling piracy in the Southeast Europe region, where United Media has seen a constant rise of illegal streaming operations over the last five years. In Greece, for example, certain estimates show more than 750,000 users of subscription-based illegal streaming, and just one recently shut down local streaming website had about 2.1 million visits in the last three months.

“ACE is proud to welcome United Media as the latest media company to join our rapidly growing coalition and support our global mission to combat illegal piracy operations,” said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. “With each new member, ACE’s network grows stronger and better equipped to eradicate piracy and protect the creative economy.”

United Media provides high-quality locally produced shows in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Greece and Bulgaria through its popular films and series for the broader public and continues to expand its influence at the global level.

“United Media’s strategic determinant is to create quality and attractive content. We invest in production, people, technology, we believe in our ideas, and it is our duty to do everything in our power to ensure copyright and legal operations of the entire market. We believe that ACE is the perfect partner in this mission, and we are looking forward to working together. We are confident that we will strengthen the creative economy with our joint efforts,” said United Media CEO Aleksandra Subotić.

ACE has seen its membership base skyrocket this year; the coalition is now comprised of 43 members around the world, including United Media, with more set to join in the coming weeks.

ACE is supported by a network of experts operating in high-tech investigations and law enforcement, in partnership with local governments and international organizations like Interpol and Europol, to take on the full supply chain of pirated content.

Piracy of digitally streamed content, which accounts for 80% of overall piracy, puts innovation, creativity and investment at risk and threatens creators, innovators and consumers alike. According to the Global Innovation Policy Center, piracy amounts to between $29.2 billion and $71 billion annually in lost domestic revenues. Additionally, consumers are harmed when accessing illegal content – one-third of pirate sites target consumers with malware that can lead to a range of problems, including identify theft and financial loss, according to a report by Digital Citizens Alliance.

ACE was founded in 2017 by the MPA and many of the world’s leading media and technology companies to combine efforts and resources to jointly combat the threat and prevalence of online piracy.  ACE’s governing board is comprised of the MPA’s six members – Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. – as well as Amazon and Apple TV+.  Since its creation, ACE has successfully led or participated in thousands of global enforcement actions, averaging several dozens of actions a month against illegal streaming services and sources of unauthorized content and their operators.

About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal 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 sources of unauthorized content and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 40 media and entertainment companies around the world, and reinforced by the content protection operations of the Motion Picture Association, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drive 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 of ACE and the Motion Picture Association. For more information, please visit www.alliance4creativity.com.

About United Media

 United Media is a part of United Group and the leading media company in Southeast Europe, with a presence in 8 countries, offering endless options to viewers in choosing their entertainment. The company also offers a unique advertising service with the sale of advertising slots and precise targeting in line with the target group for select channels. With 3,200+ employees, United Media produces more than 40,000 hours of original content every year which is distributed to a market of more than 40 million people by leading international operators. Additionally, the company has a successful digital portfolio of 30 web portals, 6 newspapers, 2 magazines, and 5 radio stations. Its channels are available for terrestrial, cable, DTH, OTT, and IPTV platforms.