LaLiga has launched a new campaign against pirated football streams, warning fans about the potential dangers of illegal streaming platforms.
This move comes just days after the league announced that a domestic match would be played abroad for the first time.
In a statement, LaLiga highlighted the growing threat that illegal streaming platforms pose to fans' digital security. According to recent studies cited by the league, many of these sites are operated by organised criminal networks. Once accessed, these sites can install malicious software on a user's device, enabling hackers to steal passwords, bank details, and even activate cameras without permission.
To help fans identify pirated sites and understand the dangers, LaLiga has launched a new webpage. The league warns that users of illegal platforms are increasingly exposed to threats that can compromise device security, personal information, privacy, and bank accounts.
It also notes that the average number of clicks needed to start a stream on pirate sites has risen from four to seven, with each additional click representing another potential risk.
LaLiga launches anti-piracy video, gets meme'd
The campaign is supported by a 20-second video delivering a blunt warning about the potential dangers of streaming matches on illegal sites.
The video's ominous tone has drawn comparisons to the early 2000s anti-piracy adverts shown before films, particularly the now-infamous "You wouldn't steal a car" commercial.
While LaLiga has positioned its message as one focused on protecting users from cyber threats, it also aims to highlight the cost to those fans' beloved clubs - it estimates piracy costs Spanish clubs between €600-€700 million each year.
Other leagues around Europe make their own moves against piracy
The issue of piracy is not unique to Spain. In France, Ligue 1's broadcasting arrangements have been strained by the prevalence of illegal streams, with broadcasters warning that lost revenue threatens the sustainability of rights deals.
Last year, Italy's Serie A took a more direct approach, partnering with Meta to target unauthorised match streams on Facebook and Instagram.
Spain has also stepped up its enforcement efforts. LaLiga points to "Operation 404," a joint initiative with the Alianza Contra la Piratería Audiovisual that led to Latin America’s first court-ordered blocking of the Magis TV app.
The operation also shut down more than 675 websites and 14 illegal apps, with arrests and seizures taking place in Argentina and Brazil.
Fans unwilling to match the spiralling cost of watching football legally?
While LaLiga frames piracy as a digital security threat, for many fans, the motivation is rooted in cost and access. The rising price of watching football, combined with restrictions on match availability, has driven supporters to seek cheaper alternatives online
This is the case everywhere, but particularly prevalent in Spain, where the cost of watching the elite domestic competition is considerably higher than it is in the UK and Germany.
As Sporticos' LaLiga Price Index illustrates, fans in Spain are paying more than €1000 per season to watch the Spanish top flight, while Brits are paying under €900 for Premier League coverage, and Germans are paying around €700.
The disparity in access and value has left many fans questioning the fairness of the system, particularly when the domestic product is marketed more cheaply abroad. The frustration has only been heightened by recent moves to stage domestic league matches in other countries, as LaLiga announced earlier this week.
It's a difficult needle to thread as the league attempts to eradicate providers of illegal live streams, despite a huge interest in them from LaLiga fans who simply cannot afford, or are unwilling, to fork out the ridiculously high prices necessary to bypass piracy and watch football through legitimate means.
However, with leagues unlikely to stop selling their media rights to broadcasting goliaths who charge outrageous monthly costs for their services, the issue of piracy in football in Spain and across Europe is likely to rumble on for some time.
