Cablevision, a Mexican cable operator run by Grupo Televisa, has obtained a court order that temporarily blocks the sale of Roku devices over concerns that they can be hacked to view unauthorized content, Bloomberg reported, citing a story that first appeared in Reforma.
Bloomberg said salespeople at retailers Liverpool and Palacio de Hierro told the publication that they were ordered to stop selling Roku products because of “legal issues.” The report said hackers in Mexico are selling compromised Roku devices that allow users to access subscription OTT services without payment.
“Our platform rules prohibit the distribution of content that violates copyrights,” a Roku official told Bloomberg. “We are working diligently with our distributor in Mexico to restore availability of Roku players in retail. Roku itself was not sued by Cablevision.”
Roku has been asked for further comment.
Update: Roku said a federal court in Mexico has lifted the ban.
