TeaTV is one of the most popular ‘pirate’ video apps around, providing ready access to movies and TV shows. The app received mainstream media attention in 2019 and following on from that exposure, the MPA has been trying to disrupt the application. The movie industry group is now asking code platform Github to take down three versions of the application while considering its repeat infringer policy.

Accessing regular websites in order to stream copies of the latest movies and TV shows is still popular among Internet users but the rise of set-top boxes and portable devices has fueled the uptake of app-based piracy tools.

It’s a cramped marketplace but last year TeaTV gained notable traction and was installed by hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, of pirates looking to access video at zero cost. This momentum earned TeaTV a place in an October 2019 CNBC feature, something which triggered even more interest in the tool and its disappearance from the web.

In the wake of that piece, a source close to TeaTV informed TF that the software (which is available for Android, Windows and macOS) would be back, a promise that was later fulfilled. However, it now transpires that Hollywood is attempting to disrupt access to the tool via complaints filed with code development platform Github.

A notice filed by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) this week begins by referencing the CNBC article, noting that TeaTV “is an app notoriously devoted to copyright infringement.” It reveals previous correspondence with Github during October and November 2019, and January 2020, and thanks Github “for its additional guidance” offered by the Microsoft-owned platform late December 2019.

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