--- title: 'Live Sports Piracy' url: 'https://argobs.com/en/la-pirateria-negli-eventi-sportivi' markdown: 'https://argobs.com/en/la-pirateria-negli-eventi-sportivi.md' lang: en date: '2025-06-27' description: 'According to a recent study by Ipsos for FAPAV (the Italian Federation for the Protection of Audiovisual and Multimedia Content), in 2023 approximately 4.6 million Italians admitted to illegally watching live sports content – in particular football matches, Formula 1 races and MotoGP – through unau…' taxonomy: category: - articoli - cybersecurity - informatica - pirateria - proprieta-intellettuale --- # Live Sports Piracy 27 June 2025 | Articles, Cybersecurity, IT, Piracy, Intellectual property According to a recent study by Ipsos for FAPAV (the Italian Federation for the Protection of Audiovisual and Multimedia Content), in 2023 approximately **4.6 million Italians** admitted to illegally watching live sports content – in particular football matches, Formula 1 races and MotoGP – through unauthorized streaming, on personal devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs) or by watching together with friends or family. Although the figure is slightly lower than the 2018 peak (almost 5 million), the phenomenon remains widespread and entrenched, especially among young people aged 16 to 34. **The rise of advanced IPTV** One of the main methods used to watch pirated sporting events – mainly football matches, Formula 1 races and MotoGP – is **IPTV (Internet Protocol Television),** illegal IPTV services, commonly known in Italy as “pezzotto”. Internet Protocol Television, or pezzotto, is a system for transmitting television signals over computer networks and differs from **Web TV**, which is based on streaming the signal. To watch pirated sporting events, users often buy “subscriptions” to the illegal service at **very low prices**, giving them access to a wide selection of content available on pay channels. In 2025 these platforms have become more sophisticated: many offer customized graphical interfaces, cryptocurrency payment systems and smart TV apps, often indistinguishable from legal services. These pirate “subscriptions” are sold at very competitive prices (5-10 euros per month) and provide access not only to live sporting events but also to on-demand content, increasing their appeal to the end user. In 2023 and 2024, several operations conducted by the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Financial Police) and coordinated with Europol led to the shutdown of more than 700 illegal IPTV channels, with over 1,200 people reported to the authorities, including operators and buyers. The penalties for those who operate or distribute pirate services remain severe: up to 8 years’ imprisonment and fines of up to €25,000. In the summer of 2023, Italian lawmakers also introduced a new rule to penalize those who use IPTV tools, the so-called “anti-pezzotto” law, in an attempt to curb the rampant spread of IPTV. The Lecce prosecutor's office was the first, and so far the only one, to release the data it has collected; in particular, it identified more than 2,000 users in 80 Italian provinces for watching illegally broadcast sports content, with penalties ranging from €154 to €5,000. Unauthorized reproduction of audiovisual content protected by copyright was already illegal; however, the new law has increased the powers of the authorities to tackle the phenomenon, as well as the penalties, which are now very steep and apply not only to those who provide IPTV services but also to those who use them. **Illegal links – sharing methods** Besides IPTV, the sharing of pirate links remains a very widespread way to watch sporting events for free. Compared to previous years, distribution channels have evolved: - **Aggregator websites:** despite systematic blocking by the Italian authorities (through AGCOM measures and with the support of the Postal Police), many sites reappear under new domains or use **decentralized hosting services** that are hard to take down. The use of VPNs and browsers such as Tor allows more experienced users to bypass the blocks. - **Messaging apps: Telegram** remains the platform most used by pirates. Through the creation of dedicated, and often private, groups, links to sporting events are shared continuously. However, in 2024-2025 there was an increase in the use of Discord and WhatsApp Business to create closed communities where up-to-date links are distributed in real time. - **Social Media:** For example, within **specific Facebook groups** pirate links are shared or “**live streams**” and “**video parties**” are started, accessible exclusively to group members; on X and TikTok, groups or accounts that spread pirate links are also still present, even through “live videos” that redirect to external portals or temporary mirrors. **The economic motives behind piracy** The economic motives behind the activities of pirates are mainly linked to the **advertising revenue** that accompanies the streaming of the sporting event. Users who watch the links are in fact constantly “**bombarded**” with advertising banners, and by clicking inside the window to adjust the volume or pause the event they risk inadvertently clicking on hidden links. At best, these links hide advertisements; however, given the illegal nature of the environment in which users operate, it is not unusual to run into **scam** sites or **malware**. In any case, on the user side, piracy is almost always driven by an economic motive. Users are attracted by bargain prices, much lower than subscriptions to official platforms, while operators profit from intrusive advertising, tracking and, in some cases, **fraudulent activities**. **How to take action** In an attempt to contain the phenomenon, current strategies include: - Contacting the authorities (mainly the Postal Police or the Guardia di Finanza), which, thanks to automated tools, can intervene within minutes of the start of a pirated sporting event, blocking the main streaming sources in real time. For example, the **Piracy Shield** system, promoted by AGCOM, is operational and enables the **immediate interruption** of illegal broadcasts; - International collaboration against illegal IPTV, often coordinated at European and global level, involving Interpol, Europol and the cooperation of the main sports leagues. - Education and awareness campaigns: sports clubs, leagues and broadcasters are investing in campaigns to explain the legal and digital risks of piracy, targeting above all the younger generations. - Partnerships between sports leagues and digital platforms: in 2023, for example, Lega Serie A established a collaboration with Meta aimed at controlling and monitoring pirate links. In particular, Serie A obtained access to **Rights Manager**, a content management system developed by Meta that allows rights holders to protect their content worldwide, including real-time live content. By using this system, Lega Serie A will not only be able to monitor when its content is uploaded to Meta's social platforms, but can also automate the process of taking down infringements online. - Seeking support from a company able to effectively identify illicit content, monitor the appearance of any new illegal content and remove it by submitting reports to Internet service providers. For more information on the procedures described above, you can send us a message through our contact form or write to us at . --- ## Navigation - Parent: [News](https://argobs.com/en/news.md) - Previous: [Trusted Flaggers: their role under the DSA](https://argobs.com/en/trusted-flagger.md) - Next: [META-morsi | A Taste of the Metaverse, Art and NFTs](https://argobs.com/en/meta-morsi-assaggi-di-metaverso-arte-e-nft.md)