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This is a shocking figure for rights holders and broadcasters of sporting events. According to a recent report, 5.1% of the French population uses illegal IPTV services. These offers also represent 95% of television piracy in France and cost the sports industry nearly a billion euros each year, as well as 500 million euros for the channels.
< h2>Ease of access
So why are the French so fond of these illegal platforms? One of the first answers that we can provide is their ease of use. In exchange for a few euros per month and without the need for enormous computer skills, Internet users can access a very extensive catalog, sometimes hundreds of channels which broadcast the meetings.
On match days, you also just need to do a quick Google search to spot many links leading to illegal streaming. If the latter are removed very quickly, and the quality is much worse than on IPTV, this “old-fashioned” method continues to appeal to many French people.
Little risk of being caught
On paper, Arcom is leading the hunt for IPTV in France. We also know that a law passed in 2021 made it possible to reduce the attraction of illegal sports broadcasts by blocking 835 illicit sites between January and September 2022, and to reduce the audience of the targeted galaxies by 23% between October 2022 and March 2023.
Regularly, we also speak to you about the managers of these services who are sometimes put out of action by the police at the request of the rights holders, who are heavily impacted by these illegal IPTV.
For users, however, the situation is completely different. Theoretically in France, the use of illegal IPTV is punishable by 3 years of imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros. But of course we cannot imagine putting 5% of the French population behind bars. Therefore, the authorities prefer to attack supply rather than demand.
Paid offers cost a fortune
This is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the success of these illegal IPTVs. If a consumer is truly passionate about sport, he will have to pay several tens of euros, or even hundreds, to follow all the competitions that interest him.
We have in fact witnessed a fragmentation of the 'offered on many channels over the last decade. It is a luxury that many French people cannot afford, especially in this period of inflation which forces them to make choices in spending.
Remain cautious
In this article, we have therefore understood the logic which pushes many consumers to turn to illegal services to follow sports broadcasts. Finally, we must also remind you that IPTVs are not always very secure.
According to a study by the DCA (American Digital Citizens Association) published this year, these offers in certain cases harbor practices of massive bank card fraud. We'll let you read more in our article here.