As sports broadcasting becomes an increasingly valuable asset, rightsholders are stepping up legal efforts to combat illegal streaming – and Ireland is no exception.
Copyright law, including provisions under the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, grants sporting federations, governing bodies, and competitions exclusive rights to broadcast and distribute their content. With the rise of digital streaming, those rights have become a significant revenue stream.
However, unauthorised streaming – often delivered through so-called “dodgy boxes” or pirated links – undermines the commercial value of those rights, depriving both rightsholders and broadcasters of critical income.
“Illegal streaming is a clear breach of copyright law,” said Paddy Murphy, Managing Associate at Ogier. “It not only results in the unauthorised reproduction and distribution of protected content but also directly impacts what broadcasters are willing to pay for those rights.”
Given the commercial stakes, it’s little surprise that major football organisations like the Premier League and UEFA have taken the lead in legal actions to shut down illegal streams.
In Ireland, courts have the power to issue blocking injunctions—orders requiring Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to prevent access to websites involved in illegal streaming. Initially used by the music and film industries, these orders had some success in curbing illegal downloads. But with the emergence of live sports streaming, offenders adapted quickly, frequently changing host sites to evade detection. This rendered traditional injunctions ineffective.
“A major turning point came in 2019 when the Premier League secured what’s known as a ‘live blocking injunction’,” explained Murphy. “This allowed ISPs like Sky, Virgin, Vodafone, and Eircom to block illegal streams in real time, based on IP addresses provided by the rightsholder.”
Importantly, the injunction allowed for dynamic blocking—enabling the Premier League to submit infringing IP addresses during a game and have them blocked for the duration of the match and shortly thereafter. Sky, as a licensed broadcaster of the Premier League in Ireland, supported the application.
To obtain the injunction, the Premier League had to produce robust evidence, including:
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Proof that its broadcasts were being pirated;
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Expert testimony demonstrating how illegal streaming devalues rights;
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Technical assurance that blocking measures would not lead to “over-blocking” and interfere with legitimate internet usage.
The success of the Premier League’s legal strategy has since been replicated. UEFA has secured similar orders to protect the Champions League and Europa League, and the Premier League has renewed its injunction multiple times.
“Live blocking injunctions are an effective legal tool that any rightsholder can pursue,” said Murphy. “However, they’re not without challenges. Preparing the necessary evidence, launching High Court proceedings, and monitoring streams in real time all carry significant costs.”
For high-value rights—like top-tier football, rugby, or other globally broadcast sports—those costs may be justified. But for smaller rights owners, the financial barrier may remain a hurdle.
Still, the message from the courts and rightsholders is increasingly clear: illegal streaming will not be ignored, and the legal tools to fight it are becoming more sophisticated.
Further Reading for Sport for Business members: Dive deeper into our content covering sports media.
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. Hopefully our report over the last three days has helped to clarify the position of sport, broadcasters, and perhaps the end users.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Later this year we will have a series of interviews with the leading lights in the Irish Sports Media Landscape.
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