The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) says 2 million people in France are watching Ligue 1 through illegal streams, as new figures highlight the growing scale of sports piracy in the market.
Details released at a conference organised by the Association for the Protection of Sports Programmes (APPS) showed Ligue 1 is now the most pirated football competition in France.
According to an Ipsos study commissioned by the LFP and LFP Media, 35% of the country’s 9.9 million committed football fans regularly pirate matches, equivalent to 3.5 million people. The study defines football fans as those with a strong interest in the sport, who regularly or almost always follow matches and support a Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 club.
Among those pirate viewers, 59% illegally watch Ligue 1, representing 2 million people. That means 20% of football fans in France are pirating Ligue 1 coverage, despite the competition also being available legally through Ligue 1+ and beIN Sports.
Douglas Lowenstein, legal director of LFP Media, said the practice was costing Ligue 1+ hundreds of millions of euros, adding that around one-fifth of football fans in France refuse to pay to watch football.
Last week, the Arras public prosecutor’s office sanctioned pirate service providers as well as around 20 users, with those individuals receiving fines of between €300 and €400.
The latest data will add to concerns over the commercial impact of piracy on Ligue 1’s broadcast revenues as rights holders and league officials push for tougher anti-piracy measures.
