Football streaming: hacking 1 – 0 Ligue 1

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According to a recent study by the &amp ;#8217;Arcom, nearly one in five French people (19%) admit to watching sport through illicit means.Illegal streaming (17%) and pirate IPTV boxes (12%) are the most widespread methods. These figures, already alarming, may only reflect part of the reality.

The ease of access to pirated content is striking. It only takes a few minutes on social networks to find links to free match broadcasts. Pirates, increasingly organized, use a variety of techniques to bypass the protections put in place by legitimate broadcasters.

Telegram, the encrypted messaging service, is particularly singled out. During the opening match of the season between PSG and Le Havre, no fewer than 200,000 people are said to have followed the match illegally via this platform. “This is huge and doesn't bode well for the rest of the season”, Hervé Lemaire, CEO of LeakID, a company specializing in the fight against piracy, worries to Les Echos.

The problem is not limited to Telegram. YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) are also used to share links to pirated streams. VPNs, which allow you to bypass geographic restrictions, add an additional layer of complexity. For example, a Brazilian channel reportedly recorded 900,000 views for the first weekend of the championship, likely via VPN connections from France.

The “mafia” of IPTV

Faced with this situation, rights holders and official broadcasters often find themselves helpless. When a pirated stream is detected, the procedure is for the platform hosting the content to be notified and to block it quickly. But responsiveness is not always there. “Telegram's response times are variable, sometimes up to 24 hours, which is incompatible with effective removal for live content”, explains the Professional Football League (LFP).

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Piracy is not limited to streaming. Illegal IPTV, which allows access to pay-TV packages for a fraction of the official price, is gaining ground. “We are dealing with organized, almost mafia-like groups”, warns Xavier Spender, general delegate of the Association for the Protection of Sports Programs (APPS). “The general public does not necessarily realize the risk they are taking by entrusting their personal and banking data to these pirates.”

The consequences of this massive piracy are multiple and potentially devastating for the football ecosystem. Beyond the immediate loss of revenue for broadcasters, the entire value chain is threatened. Clubs, amateur football and even public finances could suffer in the long term, the sector worries. “Piracy can be a threat to the entire sports ecosystem, financed by TV rights”, warns Sara d’Arifat, legal director of BeIN Sports France.

And the price in all this ?

The scale of the problem is global. A study by Synamedia-Ampere Analysis estimated in 2021 that piracy was costing sports service providers and rights holders up to $28.3 billion a year worldwide.

In the face of this threat, industry players are calling for collective awareness and stronger anti-piracy measures. They believe that collaboration between broadcasters, technology platforms and authorities would be key to stemming this phenomenon. But there is another element that is completely overlooked by industry players: the price of legal subscriptions.

In France, access to Ligue 1 matches costs 40 euros per month via the DAZN offer, but it does not include all matches. In the United Kingdom, this same offer costs a little over 10 euros. Inevitably, many Internet users will be tempted to turn to a VPN to access the same service for less.

This question of price, often overlooked by rights holders, is nevertheless the crux of the matter. Over the years, price increases have led Internet users to turn to free or cheaper solutions, even if it means taking the risk of illegality. This phenomenon also exists for films and series. After a drastic drop in piracy following the advent of Netflix and the like, we have observed since the multiple price increases a strong return of piracy.

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