A year Bundesliga Livestreams for 100 euros? The truth behind the sticks
The offer really sounds too tempting. The stick costs only 100 euros – and with it the football fan can look at the Bundesliga, the Champions League and much more for a year. The problem is: this is illegal and part of the organized crime.
According to the German Football League, the manipulated sticks from the black market are currently among the particularly popular methods so that fans can see football games at Sky or DAZN illegally. A common fraud procedure is, among other things, the use of Eastern European Internet addresses, which is referred to as a web piracy. The league recorded around 10,000 illegal uploads or live streams per match day.
« The economic damage to the transmitters and authors worldwide should go into the billions and extends far beyond sport, » says DFL managing director Steffen Merkel. Film and series providers such as Netflix are also affected by the Pay TV piracy.
DFL managing director Steffen Merkel speaks of an enormous damage. Photo: dpa
For sports providers, the attraction seems to be particularly high due to the comparatively high subscription prices. The damage is enormous, says DFL managing director Merkel, without naming numbers for the Bundesliga. « And in the end, this is also at the expense of the honest subscribers who, if in doubt, pay higher prices than it would be necessary. Because every illegal stream influences the business model of the providers. »
At least there are estimates of the damage. NFL, NBA and the UFC martial arts series estimate in a jointly published statement that the global sports industry misses up to $ 28 billion a year.
No « harmless inventors »
The Oliver Pribramsky, which is not a cavalier offense, is not a matter of cavalier: « The term piracy summarizes it well. We don’t talk about harmless tinkerers who break a stream for their friends, but rather organized international crime, which is often related to other illegal activities. »
It is « about offenses such as theft, copyright infringement or fraud and the associated economic damage to the provider and the state, » says DFL specialist Pribramsky: « Because taxes are not paid for by criminal networks ».
We invest across the entire Sky group in modern security solutions and various anti-piracy measures.
Manager Fabian Seitz
The dimensions of the piracy problem made it clear at the end of November last year. Together with the law enforcement agencies all over Europe, one of the largest illegal streaming networks inside and outside the EU was excavated, as it was said in a message. The investigation was directed against 102 suspects. In this case alone, Europol assumes more than 22 million illegal users.
« The DFL has been investing in digital legal protection for years and will further intensify this, » says Managing Director Merkel. The league is already working « with law enforcement authorities, also in the interests of our partners ». The league also fights together with the broadcasters who pay billions for TV rights.
Sky and DAZN tell the illegal providers the fight. Photo: dpa
« We are investing in modern security solutions and various anti-piracy measures across the entire Sky group, » says Manager Fabian Seitz, responsible at Sky. The globally active sports TV provider DAZN also employs specialists for the topic and, according to his own information, works « with numerous highly specialized service providers ». Like the league, the transmitters cooperate directly with law enforcement authorities and provide them with evidence.
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From a legal point of view, the users of the illegal sticks and streams act comparatively risk -free, the users of the illegal sticks and streams are comparatively risk -free.
However, forbidden sticks and streams for fans are not harmless. Sky specialist Seitz warns of the « real risks of illegal offers such as data theft or installation of malware ». The piracy « can also cause considerable damage to users ».
