AUSTRALIANS are set to lose access to some of their favourite illegal streaming sites, after the Federal Court ordered a major crackdown by telcos.

Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vodafone and 48 other internet service providers have been told to block access to most illegal streaming sites in Australia, in a court order on Tuesday.

Action to block the sites has already commenced.

It follows a three-year court charge led by an alliance of foreign-owned television stations and filmmakers to prevent their content being accessed without payment.

Roadshow Cinemas led the charge, and was joined by Disney Enterprises, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros, and Netflix – as well as Chinese media companies Television Broadcasts and TVB.

Some of the services now banned include flixtor, cipflix and various 123movies sites.

Justice Victor Nicholas ordered access to 63 streaming sites be banned in a bid to stop Australians breaching copyright via websites that “infringe, or facilitate the infringement of, copyright in large numbers of cinematograph films”.

The telcos have been given seven days to block the sites.

The move by Roadshowcomes as the fight to stamp out illegal streaming heats up.

In recent days, Roadshow signed a deal that would see it exclusively make movies for Fox Entertainment-owned streaming platform Tubi.

Paramount for its part has also recently launched its Paramount+ streaming platform.

No Australian media or production companies brought on the action to block the sites.