CAN 2025: the end of IPTV for millions of Moroccans?

For millions of Moroccans, the equation was simple: an IPTV box and a modest subscription to access all the encrypted channels in the world. But this miracle solution to follow the exploits of the Atlas Lions risks turning into a technical nightmare at the start of the tournament. Aware that the Kingdom is a major consumer of these pirated streams, the authorities have decided to tighten the screws by recently organizing a strategic seminar in Rabat. The urgency is to deploy, in collaboration with the European Union and the giants of the audiovisual industry, technological solutions capable of blocking illegal live broadcasts in real time.

This declared war on illegal streaming is inspired by the tightening observed on the Old Continent. Italy has recently paved the way by passing laws allowing for heavy fines to be imposed on mere users and for servers broadcasting the matches to be locked down. This "zero tolerance" model could be applied in Morocco, where piracy is now treated as transnational organized crime. The Hicham O. case, this Moroccan "mastermind" arrested in the Netherlands for managing a vast European network and laundering more than 17 million euros, illustrates the industrial scale of the phenomenon that Rabat wants to dismantle.

The risk is therefore real for the end consumer. While the 2025 CAN is supposed to be a showcase for the country, the official broadcasters and institutions want to ensure that the show is not spoiled by the loss of revenue. If the technical measures promised during the Rabat seminar are activated, many households equipped with pirate boxes could find themselves deprived of images at the fateful moment, collateral victims of a battle for audiovisual sovereignty that is only just beginning.