Photo: Nopphon

A great summer of sports awaits, but many are streaming live sports illegally

Jun 12, 2024 | Analysis

12. June 2024

With the “Play Fair” campaign, EUIPO encourages fans to watch sports legally. There is also a great need to take action in Denmark, as 31% of Danish young people aged 15-24 stream live sports via illegal services.

European Championship fever and Olympic dreams. This summer offers a wealth of live sporting events, but alongside the Danes’ enjoyment of sports is a big challenge for the entire sports ecosystem. Many people are consuming live sports illegally via illegal IPTV services or illegal websites, instead of paying to watch the content via the official channels. A study from EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) shows that 9% of Danes have streamed sports via illegal sources, while this applies to 31% of Danish young people aged 15-24.  

The trend is not only widespread in Denmark, but is a general problem throughout Europe. On the occasion of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day on June 12, EUIPO is therefore launching the “Play Fair” awareness campaign, encouraging fans to support sports by watching it legally. An initiative that the Rights Alliance supports.

CEO of the Rights Alliance, Maria Fredenslund, says:

“We know that sports is a big driver of illegal content consumption in general. Young people typically start by watching sports illegally, after which they start watching movies illegally, sharing textbooks illegally, etc. Therefore, it is an important focus area to start educating young consumers even before they start their illegal consumption. And that’s why there is also a need for general awareness of the problems now that we are on the eve of the European Championship in men’s football and a big sports summer in general. We must do much more to prevent illegal streaming of live sports, including through the Danish blocking system, as well as through information initiatives that guide Danes to watch sports legally.”

Read more about the ‘Play Fair’ campaign here

New ways to protect live sports

For many years, the Rights Alliance has worked to combat illegal streaming of live sports, among other things by setting examples of how illegal sports websites can be blocked. These cases have paved the way for live sports to be protected through the Danish blocking system, which prevents traffic to websites that are found to be illegal. Through the Share With Care collaboration, it is also possible to promote the legal services to users who try to access the blocked sites. In Denmark, we therefore have a well-functioning system to combat illegal sites and at the same time inform and guide Danes to use the legal services. With a large capacity within the protection of live sports, the Rights Alliance works to get more illegal services with live sports content blocked.

Want to know more about our efforts to protect live sports?

Contact Juan Rotger, Legal Sports Content and Designs Protection, at juan.rotger@rettighedsalliancen.dk