The European Commission has launched a new initiative designed to combat the illegal streaming of live events, in particular sports.
It plans to build on relevant EU legislative instruments and encourage Member States and private companies to use the tools available in EU law to tackle illegal online transmission more efficiently.
The Commission has launched a consultation with stakeholders to identify the best way this can be put in place.
It’s calling on feedback from rights Golders, sports bodies, organisers of cultural events, promoters and venues, online platforms and intermediaries.
Last November, more than 100 media, sports, music and culture organisations wrote to the Commission calling for “decisive legislative action” to clamp down on the piracy of live-broadcast content.
In an open letter, the 108 organisations belonging to the Association of Commercial Television urged the EU executive to take action against piracy, arguing “Piracy has and continues to drain Europe’s creative and cultural ecosystems, sports and live performance sectors depriving workers and industries from billions in annual revenues and undermining the sustainability of an essential part of our social and economic fabric.”
A 2021 report by the European Audiovisual Observatory, noted that in Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany no specific protection is granted to sports events, while only Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Spain expressly regulated the rights on audiovisual sports events.
