Canal+, La Liga partner to combat sports content piracy

Global broadcaster Canal+ and Spanish football league La Liga have signed a strategic agreement to strengthen the fight against sports content piracy across nearly 50 countries in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.

Under the partnership, the two organisations will combine their expertise, technology and enforcement capabilities to disrupt illegal distribution of sports content.

The agreement will allow Canal+ and La Liga to share intelligence, coordinate enforcement strategies and accelerate action against illegal distribution networks operating across multiple territories.

In a joint statement, the organisations said piracy had evolved beyond a copyright issue to become a major threat to the sustainability of the sports industry, undermining investment, innovation and the long-term value of audiovisual rights.

They said illegal football broadcasts deprive the wider sports ecosystem, including amateur and professional sport, of resources needed to support its development.

These resources include funding youth academies, supporting clubs of different sizes and investing in audiovisual production that brings major sporting competitions to audiences.

The organisations also warned that illegal streaming services expose users to risks including personal data theft, malware, fraud and access to unregulated content.

Canal+ steps up anti-piracy fight

Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said the scale of the partnership reflected the broadcaster’s commitment to combating content piracy.

“The unprecedented scale of this partnership reflects the strategic importance Canal+ attaches to the fight against content piracy,” Saada said.

He said Canal+ shared with La Liga a commitment to tackling piracy, adding that combining their expertise would strengthen their ability to disrupt illegal content distribution.

“Piracy undermines the entire sports ecosystem. By combining our anti-piracy expertise, we are significantly enhancing our ability to take action,” Saada said.

He added that sports organisations, broadcasters and other players in the audiovisual and creative industries all had a role to play in tackling piracy.

La Liga president Javier Tebas said piracy posed a major threat to the future of sport and required collaboration among industry players.

“Piracy is one of the greatest challenges facing the future of sports, one that no organisation can tackle alone, which is why partnerships like this one are so important,” Tebas said.

He said the partnership would combine technology, intelligence and operational expertise to protect the value of sports competitions and safeguard investments made by broadcasters and clubs.

“Ultimately, this is about safeguarding the future of football,” Tebas said.

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