ITV Studios, the show’s producer, has not issued an official statement on the leak, though anti-piracy firm Friend MTS has reportedly sent takedown notices to several cyberlockers hosting the DTHrip files. On Reddit’s r/TheBayTV, opinions are divided. Some users defend the DTHrip as a way to watch the show internationally without waiting months for a local release. Others argue it hurts the show’s chances of renewal.

In the case of The Bay Season 2, multiple episodes appeared on torrent sites within hours of their UKTV broadcast, labeled The.Bay.S02E01.DTHrip.x264 and similar naming conventions. Sources tracking digital piracy suggest the leak likely originated from a compromised satellite receiver or a broadcaster’s internal feed. Unlike web-rips, which come from streaming apps, DTHrips require access to unencrypted or weakly encrypted transport streams.

As for the term “DTHrip” — it may fade, but the security questions it raises for broadcasters will not.

Cybersecurity firm PiracyGuard noted in a recent blog post: “The Bay S02 DTHrip is unusual because most modern UK broadcasts use BISS or other encryption. Either someone obtained a decryption key or the stream was accidentally left unencrypted at some point in the distribution chain.” While The Bay doesn’t command the global audience of a Game of Thrones , the DTHrip has still affected viewing patterns. Early data indicates a spike in unauthorized downloads from regions where the show has not yet been licensed for streaming.