Ligue 1 Takes Aggressive Stance Against Piracy: Google & Bing Ordered to Dereference Illegal Streaming Sites
The French Professional Football League (LFP) has secured a significant victory in its fight against broadcast piracy, obtaining a court order compelling search engines Google and Bing to remove illegal streaming and IPTV sites from their search results. The Paris court ruling,announced Monday,marks a proactive step in protecting Ligue 1 and ligue 2 broadcasting rights.
The order mandates the “dereferencing” of sites directly streaming matches, effectively making them invisible to users searching on the two major search engines. This extends to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services, which illegally distribute protected content at significantly reduced prices.
The LFP intends to build on this success throughout the season, stating it will work with the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) to identify and dereference new pirate sites as they emerge. This action complements previous measures taken in July to block access to these sites.
This aggressive approach comes as the LFP navigates a challenging period regarding TV rights and has recently launched its own streaming platform, Ligue 1+, in August. The platform has already surpassed one million subscribers after just one month, fueled by competitive pricing – currently €14.99 per month for an annual subscription, with an introductory offer of €9.99 for the first three months. LFP Media reports that 72% of current subscribers have committed to a full season subscription.
According to Joseph Oughourlian,president of Lens,the LFPS economic plan for ligue 1+ aims for 2 to 2.5 million subscribers, with a gradual price increase to €19 per month. Achieving this subscriber base is projected to generate €300-350 million in revenue for clubs by season three.
