A recent report from the Intellectual Property Office of the City of London Police Force concluded that the number of illegal streamers in the UK had “gone through the roof.”
Broadcasters in Britain and Ireland have expressed grave concern that illegal streaming has become normalised and that it is seen as a victimless crime.
Today, we begin a short series that will examine in greater detail whether that is true and examine the impact on sport and the funding of crime.
The head of the City of London Police Force nailed the question of a victimless crime.
“Criminal gangs are using the money they are generating for lots of different things, usually drugs, certainly forced labour, people trafficking and vast amounts of other criminality.”
That alone should give pause for thought that somewhere along the chain from the person you rang to get a stick or a ‘dodgy box’, to the person they got it from, to the network of criminals that each of them are supporting, people are being trafficked as a result.
An Offence Under Irish Law
Using or owning a ‘dodgy box’ is an offence under Irish law, punishable by fines and potential prosecution, though the likelihood of either is deemed so low as to be a low barrier.
Legal and police efforts are focusing more on those who are supplying the streams.
In the past two years, 70 illegal streaming operations have been shut down in Ireland. In December of last year, 13 legal notices were issued in Cork, Donegal, Dublin and Limerick, resulting in a break in service for thousands of users.
King Kong Media was one of the services brought to court, with a sixteen-month prison sentence imposed on the operator of this one illegal ‘clearing house’.
Further up the line, Europol and Interpol brought down a network based in Europe, bringing with it the streams of over 22 million users who were paying criminals to avoid paying for the services provided by sports and entertainment streaming channels.
400,000 Dodgy Boxes
Reports across mainstream media have suggested that as many as 400,000 dodgy boxes could be used in Ireland. That staggering number is almost half that of the number of TV licences. Even if it was exaggerated, half of it would be a level that would have a material impact on broadcasters and sporting bodies.
We have spoken to the operators of each of the streams operated by the GAA, the League of Ireland and Irish Rugby to ascertain the number of individuals employed solely to deliver streaming feeds beyond those provided by the broadcasters.
LOITV, GAA+, and Irish Rugby+ have over 100 professionals engaged and paid to produce the action that has become a staple of both the ways in which the most devoted fans consume the action and the ways in which sport can monetise its most popular games to fund game development.
One spoke of how demoralising it was to have people openly boasting of not paying anything, and seeing it in some way as a simple and almost praiseworthy blow against authority.
Another source spoke with incredulity about complaints that were received about the quality of a stream from someone who was watching through an illegal service.
Leading Irish production companies such as Nemeton and Iris Productions are also supporting livelihoods by bringing sporting action to the screen. If their work is being stolen, how should that sit with those who are taking illegal streams?
GAA counties learned during lockdown that there was a demand for games that could be shown that would appeal to a smaller niche. A number invested in the technology or took on a third party like Clubber to provide the service and raise money for development.
Clubber estimate that as much as 40 percent of their work is being stolen and siphoned though dodgy boxes.
Tyrone GAA also estimated that half of those who were watching the pictures they provided were doing so illegally.
We live in an era where free is considered the norm, but if we do not pay the creative personnel who produce the content, it will disappear.
Nowhere in the financial accounts of an illegal streamer will you find line items for the salary to be paid to camera and sound operators, commentators, analysts and technicians.
The public is becoming more aware of the issues, and there is some optimism that the education work of bestreamwise.com and a growing awareness of opening doors with payment services that can be kicked open by scammers will eventually lead to a decline in those who steal sport, both to provide to others but also to watch at home.
Tomorrow we will look in greater detail at the international experience and the work being done by broadcasters and international federations. Then on Thursday we will get a legal perspective on where this is heading.
Further Reading for Sport for Business members: New GAA+ To Show 40+ Championship Games and more
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
The principal of paying for sport is something that cannot be circumvented without material impact to those who want to make it more accessible. If stealing a car or a wallet is seen as unacceptable then so to should the theft of content.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Tomorrow we will look in greater detail at the international experience and the work being done by broadcasters and international federations. Then on Thursday we will get a legal perspective on where this is heading.
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