IPTV: sports channels want to impose law to end illegal streaming

The sports channels gathered through the Association for the Protection of Sports Programs (APPS) have decided to take the bull by the horns to end the phenomenon of piracy of sports content. IPTV boxes and illegal streaming sites are more popular than ever and this creates significant losses for rights holders.

As the competition for sports rights becomes increasingly harsh, driving costs to unprecedented levels, piracy is also gaining momentum. The link between the two phenomena is obvious. The fragmentation of sports rights now held by several players pushes the price of subscriptions upwards and sports fans are forced to subscribe to several channels at once: RMC Sport, Canal +, beIN Sports, to name a few. .

More and more people are flocking to alternative solutions. IPTV boxes and streaming sites are becoming more and more popular. How to make the huge amounts invested in the acquisition of sports rights profitable, while the subscriber base continues to melt over the years? Sports channels are at a dead end.

Sports professionals tackle piracy

We talked a few weeks ago, the channels want to end the piracy of sports content. Professionals in the sector are asking that their concerns be taken into account in the audiovisual reform project. Les Echos says in one of its latest publications that the sports chains and federations put pressure on the authorities so that France finally has an effective arsenal against piracy.

They suggest several ways to achieve this. Some tracks inspired by the actions taken by some countries like Portugal and the United Kingdom. "Piracy is not just kids watching football, but an industry that is there to make money," said Didier Quillot, director of the professional football league.

It suggests that consumers are the wrong target. One thinks in particular of the Hadopi with its famous graduated answer which is a boring failure. To really hurt the piracy industry, you have to attack the problem at the source. This is explained by Christophe Witchitz, Director of Public Affairs of Canal +. "What we are now proposing is to dry up the sources of crime, it is more consensual".

A law to facilitate the fight against illegal streaming

Hadopi could for example be strengthened with means that will allow it to be more reactive to block streaming sites, sometimes even in minutes as do the British and Portuguese. This requires cooperation with service providers. In addition, the channels demand a relaxation of the judicial procedures to allow the judges to make decisions on the actors of the piracy or on web sites without having to remake it for others.

As Christophe Witchitz explains, we sometimes lose three to five years in these procedures since each time we have to restart a new one to attack the sites or mirroring services that are created. The new law must make it easier to fight by allowing justice to be more reactive.