If you’re getting an unusually good deal on a streaming service that carries live sports, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment may have some tough news for you.
Unauthorized resales of live sports feeds is a growing problem for TV rights holders who pay billions to carry games. Fans hear a disclaimer on every contest they watch — such as, “Any rebroadcast, retransmission or account of this game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball is prohibited” — for a reason.
Global sports piracy costs media companies $28 billion a year in lost revenue, according to a recent study from Synamedia/Ampere . The study found that 74% of fans using illegal streams might be willing to pay to switch to a legitimate streaming provider.
It’s why ACE, an offshoot of the Motion Picture Assn. that aids law enforcement in cracking down on digital piracy, is stepping up its efforts to shut down sports TV feeds distributed on unauthorized streaming sites. The coalition is announcing Tuesday that the Qatar-based beIN SPORTS has signed on as a member, the first pure sports broadcaster to do so. ACE expects other sports leagues to join in the coming months.
“Threats to intellectual property rights is a major problem in many of the markets in which beIN operates, so we’ll be working closely with ACE to investigate and bring legal enforcement actions against major pirates who are seriously threatening continued investment in the world class sports and entertainment services and productions that consumers deserve,” said Cameron Andrews, who oversees the antipiracy efforts for beIN Media Group. See more here.
