Ligue 1 Piracy Persists, Threatening DAZN and French Football Revenue

Piracy is not waning. The alarming figures at the start of the season, with nearly a million illegal viewers for the first day, have been confirmed. This scourge threatens DAZN’s objectives (1.5 million paying subscribers) and undermines the economics of French football.

The fight against Telegram is still ongoing, but the progress is slim. The discussion group to report illegal broadcasts is not very effective, with the platform lacking responsiveness. Hervé Lemaire, from LeakID, tells the newspaper Le Parisien: "The problem is that at the time of the first Telegram alert, the pirate knows he has been spotted. He has time to create a new streaming link and we start from scratch. It’s endless." He calls for more direct collaboration with Telegram for concrete results.

Regarding IPTV services, the battle is just as difficult. The blocking process is long, involving the justice system and Arcom. The CEO of MyMedia Agency points out: "IPTV takes longer to block, because we have to find the original server, which is generally located abroad." Mohammed Boumediane, from Ziwit, adds: "As long as we don’t cut the problem at the source by closing the servers in Morocco or the Middle East, IPTV sellers will continue to operate." Arcom boasts of having blocked 513 IPTV services, reducing piracy by 27%. The LFP also welcomes the injunctions of the Paris court, allowing the blocking of illegal IPTV from the first day.

However, VPNs have become a major obstacle. They allow bypassing geographical restrictions. Many French people thus watch Ligue 1 on YouTube via the Brazilian channel Cazé TV, pretending to be Brazilian residents. Hervé Lemaire reminds that "Using a VPN to consume content that is not available in your country is perfectly illegal!" Unfortunately, the technical solutions to counter this practice are almost non-existent, as YouTube does not offer the necessary tools. "Fighting this method will be very difficult," admits Hervé Lemaire.

DAZN and the LFP are facing persistent and adaptable piracy. The battle to protect broadcasting rights and the financial health of French football is far from over. Sector players must continue their efforts in this long and difficult fight. They must keep the course.