Live sports event piracy is facing a unique situation in which the measures requested by the European Commission are not only not being enforced but are largely ignored. This is demonstrated by a recent report prepared by Grant Thornton in collaboration with the Live Content Coalition, which reveals that online piracy continues to pose a significant risk to live event rights holders, such as LALIGA.
Despite the European Commission’s Recommendation issued in May 2023 to combat unauthorised live event broadcasts, the 2024 data reflect a concerning situation with more than 10.8 million illegal broadcasts detected over the past year.
Only 2.7% of infringements were addressed within the first 30 minutes, while 20% took more than 120 minutes to be processed, and approximately 81% of these unauthorized broadcasts were not suspended, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the European Commission’s Recommendation and the limited cooperation of digital intermediaries.
The sports industry at risk
This issue directly affects organizations that rely on live event broadcasting revenue, such as LALIGA, which sees its ability to protect its intellectual property and sustain its business model under threat.
Similarly, Dedicated Server Providers received 52% of the notices, of which 89% did not result in the suspension of the unauthorized live event broadcast—an alarming figure considering that, by comparison, online platforms only ignored 2% of the notices.
However, it is worth noting that the recurrence rate of online platforms broadcasting pirated content on the same day exceeds 90%. DSPs accounted for more than half of all notices sent to digital intermediaries in 2024. On average, notices were sent to 850 DSPs per quarter throughout the year.
These figures show that online piracy not only persists but that efforts to curb it are failing to make a significant impact.
Call for urgent action
LALIGA, as one of the main organisations affected by piracy, faces millions in losses due to unauthorized broadcasts of its matches. Illegal broadcasting undermines the value of its audiovisual rights, a key revenue source that funds not only the clubs but also social programs and sports development.
Although online platforms showed greater effectiveness in suspending illegal content (98% of notices addressed), DSPs remain a significant obstacle, as only 11% of the notices led to the suspension of illegal broadcasts.
The report highlights the need to strengthen cooperation agreements and accelerate takedown times for infringements. It also underscores the importance of implementing additional specific measures for DSPs, who represent the largest source of unsuspended illegal broadcasts.
Access the full Grant Thornton’s report here.
SOURCE: LALIGA CONTENTHUB
