A coalition of prominent European sports leagues, broadcasters, and live event organizers is pressing Brussels to enact fresh EU regulations designed to combat the real-time piracy of live content. They warn that existing measures are failing to adequately safeguard revenues, audiences, and public services.
In a joint letter addressed to the European Commission this past October, 36 organizations – including the Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga, Sky, Canal+, DAZN, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, TF1, Disney, and RTL – assert that the piracy of live sport, entertainment, and cultural events has reached “scales that can no longer be ignored” and is now fueled by “organised criminal enterprises”.
The group is advocating for binding legislation that mandates platforms and intermediaries to remove illegal live streams within 30 minutes of notification. This should be supported by EU-wide “live dynamic blocking orders” that can effectively block mirror sites and emerging domains. They also seek stricter ‘know your business customer’ protocols for infrastructure providers like hosting platforms, VPNs, CDNs, and app stores, to prevent large-scale pirate IPTV operations from concealing themselves behind anonymous registrations.
These companies contend that voluntary initiatives and private enforcement efforts have been overshadowed by industrial-scale piracy, especially concerning IPTV subscriptions and streaming devices. They highlight 2024 data indicating that 81% of millions of detected illegal live streams in Europe were never suspended, and less than 3% were taken down within 30 minutes of a takedown notice. Data from the first half of 2025, they say, indicates “no improvement”.
The signatories also outline the significant economic impact. They estimate annual losses to rightsholders at €2.2 billion in Italy, €1.8 billion in Germany, and €1.5 billion in France. The letter emphasizes that piracy reduces tax revenues and exposes viewers to malware, data theft, and inappropriate content, often lacking parental controls.
The appeal is directed to Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Internal Market Commissioner Glenn Micallef, as the Commission deliberates its next steps following a 2023 Recommendation on combating online piracy of live sports and other events. Although that Recommendation promoted faster removals and improved coordination, it was non-binding. The group claims that its implementation “has yet to deliver tangible results” and is now requesting legislation.
Specifically, they are requesting three measures to be enshrined in EU law. They also call for more stringent enforcement of the Digital Services Act and for national Digital Services Coordinators to grant “Trusted Flagger” status to industry bodies to accelerate the escalation and removal of pirate streams.
The signatories – encompassing football leagues, pan-European competitions, pay TV groups, streaming platforms, venue operators, anti-piracy vendors, and unions – portray the issue as more than a pay TV concern. They assert that live piracy now jeopardizes jobs, grassroots sport investment, production funding, and future rights values across Europe. They warn that rightsholders “must not be left to confront the growing threat of live piracy on their own”.