An analysis for The Guardian by GCI found 16.2 million illegal streams of the Arsenal-PSG final, significantly higher than the 7 million legal views on TNT Sports and HBO Max. This data highlights a major long-term piracy concern for broadcasters such as TNT and rights owners like UEFA and the Premier League, especially after TNT's decision not to offer free-to-air access.
The significant volume of illegal streams for a major sporting event like the Arsenal-PSG final directly eats into potential revenue for rights holders and broadcasters. TNT's decision to make the match exclusively pay-per-view likely contributed to this surge in unauthorized viewing, despite satisfying its internal viewing targets. This underscores the delicate balance between maximizing subscription revenue and managing content accessibility to deter piracy. The incident suggests that restrictive viewing policies may inadvertently fuel illegal consumption, impacting future rights negotiations and investment in premium sports content. Industry players should monitor how this piracy rate for specific events influences future broadcast strategies and anti-piracy investments from major sports leagues and content owners.
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