The Premier League is taking a stronger stance against illegal streaming as it prepares for the upcoming auction of domestic television rights. The league has expanded its legal team and is using private prosecutions to combat piracy.
The evolution of online piracy has forced the Premier League to adapt, building up an internal team of lawyers, investigators and content protection analysts to remove illegal content and punish those providing it.
Kevin Plumb, general counsel for the Premier League, acknowledged that pirates have become more sophisticated in their methods. He emphasized that finding people online who engage in illegal streaming poses a challenge.
With media rights being crucial to the competition's value and revenue generation for football clubs, protecting against piracy is essential.
In February 2019 alone, an estimated 3.9 million people illegally streamed live sports in the UK. according to research from the Intellectual Property Office. A survey conducted by YouGov Sport found that over 40% of individuals who use illicit means to watch live sports cited cost as their primary motivation.
Sky won a High Court order in July forcing internet service providers (ISPs) to block pirates from illegally streaming football matches and TV shows - similar measures were employed by the Premier League with its "Super Block" which helped take down over 600k illegal streams last season.
Five men were sentenced this May after running an extensive operation involving more than 50,000 customers generating £7m across five years – making it "the world's largest-ever prosecution" related specifically to an illicit sports-streaming network.
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