Brussels (Brussels Morning) – The Brussels Commercial Court ordered nearly 100 websites broadcasting Jupiler Pro League games to close. Eleven/DAZN, the rights holder, took legal action, and telecom companies complied with the order.
The Brussels Commercial Court has instructed the immediate closure of nearly 100 websites broadcasting unlawful content from the Jupiler Pro League. The decision was made after Eleven/DAZN, the rights holder for the broadcast, carried legal action. Telecom companies Telenet, Proximus, VOO and Orange have conceded with the court’s order.
How is Eleven/DAZN combating illegal football streaming?
Eleven/Dazn, which holds the rights to matches in the national football competition, is battling illegal streaming sites. Through a Brussels court, the entertainment group was able to execute the immediate closure of almost a hundred sites that broadcast illegal content, from abroad and in Belgium. These were mostly, but not exclusively, games of the Jupiler Pro League.
A legal battle has been spouting against sites that illegally offered series or films for some time. But it is the first time that unlawful providers of live streams have also been shut down in the country. Eleven/Dazn accommodates this and announces that further steps will follow. “The phenomenon of content piracy is a true scourge and a major risk for the entertainment, culture and sports sectors. Many jobs, direct and indirect, are at risk.”
Why is content piracy a threat to sports sectors?
Lorin Parys, CEO of the Pro League, also highlights the economic impact. “Revenues from broadcasting rights are one of the essential pillars of Belgian football, supporting both amateur and professional clubs. The illicit distribution and broadcast of football results in an annual upset of 134 million euros, on top of which there is a shortfall of nearly 24 million euros in VAT revenue for the government and citizens.”
Content piracy has become widely acknowledged in recent years. Figures from the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) show that almost 6 per cent of Belgians regularly consume illegal content, or about half a million compatriots. The European average is 4.5 per cent. In the age group from 16 to 24 years, this figure even rises to 20 per cent for Belgium.
In factual terms, it is the telecom operators such as Proximus, Telenet and Voo that will now block access to the illegal sites. That will be quite a job, states ElevenDazn. “We know that these illegal sites have a tendency to spring up like mushrooms. But experience from Italy, among others, shows us that there is still a large conversion to more legal viewing behaviour.”
