Palixi: the new name of PapaFlix, the former Tirexo

New name and address change for Tirexo! After PapaFlix, the famous illegal download and streaming site becomes Palixi. Zone Telechargement, the other popular platform, has still not resurfaced.

New twist in the “Tirexo affair”! A few weeks after its sudden closure, the famous French-speaking illegal downloading and streaming site is changing its name and address again. He thus becomes Palixi, instead of PapaFlix, the name he had adopted for his big comeback at the end of May. But this time, no major modification, contrary to its last reincarnation which had required a major overhaul with a complete reconstruction of its catalog: apart from the name and the address, Palixi uses the same interface, organization, PapaFlix’s tools and fund. And the PapaFlix URL is automatically redirected to Palixi, which saves regulars from having to search again. Very simple searches, however, insofar as even Google – which does not hesitate to ban piracy sites from its results pages – perfectly references the two names… Fans of films, series, software and other “free” content will still be able to rejoice!

A new address for PapaFlix, ex-Tirexo

This new change of name and address is the latest development in the history of Tirexo. In fact, at the end of May 2022, three weeks after its surprise closure at the end of April, Tirexo reappeared under a new name. Renamed PapaFlix – no doubt in a nod to Netflix… – this famous French-speaking site for illegal downloading and streaming was given a new look, in a version under construction – the interface evolved in a few days – but completely functional : there was not only a lot of content, classified by category, with an efficient search engine, but also new films and series. It was the platform administrators who announced this big comeback on the Telegram group associated with Tirexo, warning of the presence of a few bugs – small flaws that have since disappeared. It is not known why the site changed its name on June 4 to become Palixi, as nothing changes in appearance. but we can assume that it is a measure to escape the radars of authorities like Arcom.

Download area: the historic site still closed

On the other hand, nothing new for Zone Telechargement, the other large online “catalogue” of pirated content, which served as a reference in the field, which had suddenly closed two days after Tirexo, for the same reasons. But given the enthusiasm of users for this kind of service, we imagine that the platform will also resurface soon, probably under a new name. And the vacuum created by the sudden disappearance of these two popular platforms has led users to similar sites and more or less successful clones. And with inflation hitting all sectors of the economy right now, it’s safe to assume that some will unsubscribe from paid services like Netflix and turn to illegal solutions…

Closing of Tirexo and the Download Zone: the explanation

We know more about the surprise closure of Tirexo and Zone-Téléchargement. At the end of April 2022, these two popular French-speaking illegal downloading and streaming sites suddenly shut down, two days apart, and without warning, to the chagrin of lovers of “free” content. Instead of the traditional catalog on the home page of Zone Telechargement (Zone-Téléchargement or ZT for short), one could read a message from the administrators announcing the news. Without giving a precise explanation of the reason for this sudden decision and without leaving the slightest hope of return for the regulars. “It is on these few lines that we announce the closure of the ZT site. Yes, this is the end, no joke, everything is not eternal. […] The database will be completely destroyed and the CMS will not be distributed, there will be no recovery or follow-up”, could we read in this surprising announcement of Monday, April 25. Two days earlier, on Saturday April 23, Tirexo officials issued a similar message: “The Tirexo adventure ends there. Thank you for everything. ‘t take away anything we’ve done for us and you so far. Bye.” Unlike Zone Telechargement, the Tirexo catalog is still accessible, but no download or streaming link is available in the files.

A week after the announcement, we learned a little more than the reason for this sudden closure. In fact, it is theAlliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE or Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment) which was behind this decision. Created in 2019, this organization brings together more than 30 major global entertainment, film and copyright content production companies (including Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros, Universal, Sky, BBC, Amazon and Hulu) in order to protect their interests, in particular by fighting against all forms of illegal downloading. It is she who would have contacted the administrators of the two sites – which still total more than 30 million visits per month… – urging them to immediately cease their activities. It must be believed that ACE’s arguments must have been particularly convincing since the owners of these sites located respectively in Tunisia (Zome-Téléchargement) and Morocco (Tirexo) immediately lowered the curtain, no doubt for fear of legal proceedings and (very) heavy fines…

Because, without even mentioning the pressure of the ACE, Tirexo, Zone Telechargement and all the other sites offering links to pirated content exposing themselves to the wrath of theArcom (the new authority that succeeds both the CSA and Hadopi), which since the beginning of the year has been conducting a fierce and obviously very effective hunt against all platforms engaged in the “sharing” of protected works, especially in streaming (see our article).

Illegal downloading and streaming sites: the clone wars

As you can imagine, these sudden and almost simultaneous closings at the end of April had the effect of real bombs in the small world of fans of “free” downloads and illegal streaming, the two “services” offered by these famous platforms which, without hosting any file, gave all the links to retrieve content of all kinds (movies, series, TV shows, music, software, games, magazines, books, etc.). In a very simple way and without any real risk, unlike highly monitored torrents, thanks in particular to the “direct download” technique.

The sudden closure of two “reference” sites at the end of April caused fear for a moment of the end of “pirate” sites? The sequence of events proved that things are not so simple. Because in the middle of illegal downloading and streaming, specialized sites have the habit of regularly changing their URL (the address on the Internet) to pass under the radar. And the most popular are often imitated, not to say cloned, by “pirates of pirates” who wish to attract visitors by usurpation of notoriety. Not to mention that the “good addresses” are very easily shared on blogs and social networks (see our article). In addition, when Tirexo and Zone Telechargement “fallen”, other platforms remained in operation, such as Extreme Download, Wawacity, Annuaire-Telechargement, LibertyVF, Cpasmal or Zone Annuaire to name only the most popular. Not to mention the multiple clones of these two reference sites, which continue their activities, taking advantage of the confusion of former users. Certainly, it is not said that all will survive if Arcom and the rights holders maintain their pressure by initiating legal proceedings and asking for blockages and closures. But experience shows that the hunt for piracy is not easy, as the players in the sector are numerous and agile. And even if it becomes difficult to find the “good addresses”, it seems that amateurs can still recover content protected by copyright without paying anything…