Illegal Streaming Sites
"After Careful Deliberation, They Will Be Shut Down"
The illegal video streaming site 'NunuTV Season 2' has finally shut down its service following the government's strong warning of crackdown measures.
On the 19th, the operator of NunuTV Season 2 announced through a notice, "After careful consideration, we are terminating NunuTV Season 2," adding, "There are no plans to open Season 3, and please be cautious of similar impersonation sites."
They further emphasized, "We would like to reiterate that NunuTV Season 2 has no connection whatsoever with the previously closed 'NunuTV' site." Currently, only the notice is posted on the website, and the previously provided content is no longer accessible.
NunuTV Season 2 is a similar site that was launched about two months after the original 'NunuTV' service was terminated. The site, which opened earlier this month, openly hosts paid OTT (over-the-top) content including movies and TV programs.
As illegal streaming sites proliferated, the government stepped up enforcement. On the 18th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that, together with domestic OTT industry players, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and the Korea Radio Promotion Association (RAPA), they would establish a response system to block access URLs multiple times a day.
Meanwhile, although the operator of NunuTV Season 2 claimed "there is no relation to the original NunuTV," controversy arose due to the similarity in the service name and website design.
NunuTV had shut down its service on April 14 amid comprehensive pressure from the government, including daily URL blocking and police investigations. At that time, the industry estimated the damages from copyright infringement at approximately 4.9 trillion KRW, with NunuTV’s illicit profits estimated at 33.3 billion KRW.
After NunuTV’s closure, the number of OTT users reportedly increased by over one million. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to Representative Park Wan-joo’s office, the number of users of domestic OTT platforms such as TVING and WAVVE reached 14.1 million as of May this year, an increase of about 1.02 million compared to March when NunuTV was embroiled in controversy.
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