Has Real Debrid Shut Down?

Real Debrid faces an uncertain future following a notice from the French Federation of Film Distribution. The popular premium hosting service has implemented stronger anti-piracy measures to meet these demands, affecting the user experience. Some users are facing issues, causing a widespread panic that the service is shutting down.

Real Debrid reportedly has issues with users across the EU and other parts of the world sharing their frustrations online. This comes a few days after the premium hosting service announced that it was strengthening its anti-piracy measures. It is a step in response to a notice sent by the French Federation of Film Distribution (FNEF).

“Following a formal notice from the FNEF.., Real Debrid is strengthening its anti-piracy measures. As you already know, we actively comply with DMCA and are already blocking a certain number of infringing torrents,” read part of the message as posted on Real Debrid’s official X account.

Is Real Debrid Shutting Down After 15 Years?

Real Debrid was established in 2009 and is a leading premium resolver service for cord-cutters. It is popular for its cheap cost and reliable premium links that provide a buffer-free experience to streamers. Furthermore, the service integrates seamlessly with third-party apps like CinemaHD and media players like Kodi, Plex, and Stremio.

Its popularity has peaked in the past few years, especially after TikTok creators hailed how well it works to enable cord-cutters to watch movies, live TV, and TV shows on Stremio. Being spoken about might also have something to do with its downfall because this is also the same time that French filmmakers marked it for enabling piracy.

The EU-headquartered service faces an uncertain future as countries in this region implement harsh anti-piracy laws targeting services in the US’s Notorious Markets List and EU’s Piracy Watchlist.

It has vowed to do its part in fighting piracy by blocking audiovisual files available on the cyberlockers listed in the notorious piracy lists.

“In the coming hours, audiovisual files available on several cyberlockers listed on the USTR blacklist or listed in the European Counterfeit and Piracy Watch list will be blocked,” further read the message posted on X.

Kodi and Third-Party Applications Suffer the Biggest Loss

Real Debrid will also deactivate its API which was largely used by media centers like Kodi, Stremio, and Plex. This is the same API that users integrate with third-party apps to seamlessly download and stream movies, TV shows, and other content.

Another feature that directly affects the usability of Kodi and similar applications is the InstantAvailability feature. This feature allows users to instantly stream and download cached videos, some of which were pirated content.

To directly quote Real Debrid on X,

There will be “a complete purge of files potentially cached on the previously mentioned criteria, the deactivation of the API endpoint/Instant Availability, and a blocking of counterfeit Kodi and Stremio applications to the extent that they are identifiable.”

Most Kodi and Stremio addons are Debrid-dependent, and they are completely doing away with free links. Users have reported issues with most of these addons, the Real Debrid changes rendering them ‘useless.’

However, some addon developers have developed a quick workaround that allows users to continue accessing Real Debrid links seamlessly. These include Kodi’s Umbrella and FEN addons and Stremio’s Torrentio. The question remains whether this is a short-term solution or whether Real Debrid will become defunct.

Filters and Key Words May Lead to False Positives

Another way that Real Debrid intends to enforce anti-piracy is by filtering content by file name and keywords. Using filters is great until there are false positives, which the service acknowledges. Manually processing false positives means even legitimate content might be flagged, leading to even more frustration among users.

Real Debrid is also targeting private torrent trackers in the new modus operandi. Torrent sites that are restricted to a few registered users have been the most reliable sources of torrents for experienced streamers. The French authorities are aware of such trackers and have filed lawsuits to target them in the Paris Judicial Court.

In response, Real Debrid will “block all torrent hashes of private torrent trackers mentioned in cases at the Paris Judicial Court.”

The premium hoster has always marked torrent files that contained infringing content, so this is not new. However, the new filtering mode and the possibility of false positives means more files will be blocked and unreachable.

What Now?

Real Debrid is a legal service that acts as a middleman between file hosters and streaming platforms. To maintain its legitimacy, it is supposed to respond to DMCA requests quickly, and in return, the DMCA will protect it.

It is doing so by enforcing these new anti-piracy measures to avoid legal problems with authorities. Being headquartered in the EU places its servers under scrutiny, and not complying could result in fines and other legal repercussions.

Some users on social media have confirmed getting refunds from the service as they look for alternatives. While this is a good gesture by Real Debrid, it also raises concerns over the fate of the current subscribers.

Kodi, Plex, and Stremio users largely depend on premium hosters to provide content. What next for them if a big name like Real Debrid blocks them? The addons that rely on free links are still available but are unreliable for the most part.

We can only wait and watch as the full effect of the new measures is felt across related fronts like torrenting and streaming. Third-party applications will be the most affected. In the meantime, if you’re facing issues with Real Debrid, seek working alternatives like All Debrid and Premiumize.

You can also check online forums and relevant subReddits for workarounds. As we mentioned earlier, some addon developers have already created workarounds, and updating your apps and addons should provide a solution in the meantime.

Anti-piracy operations are rising as rightsholders and legitimate content distributors fight back after suffering losses. Cord-cutters have managed to ditch pay TV and premium streaming services by using third-party applications to access content. This has diminished content creators, film distributors, and broadcasters’ profits from subscriptions and viewership.

If the current measures don’t yield the desired results, anti-piracy authorities may demand more from Real Debrid and other providers. We can only wait and watch what happens in this developing story.

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