Arsenal-PSG Final Drew 16.2M Illegal Streams vs. 7M Legal Viewers
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.
Key Takeaways
- Illegal streams for the Arsenal-PSG final totaled 16.2 million views, exceeding legal views by 2.3x.
- Legal viewership on TNT Sports and HBO Max combined for over 7 million, achieving a 25.6% audience share.
- The 16.2 million illegal streams were attributed to 3.7 million unique IP addresses.
- TNT's decision to forego free-to-air coverage for the final sparked political controversy, including criticism from Sir Keir Starmer.
- Rights holders like UEFA and Premier League, alongside broadcasters like TNT, face long-term concerns regarding piracy impact.
Why It Matters
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.
Read full article at magzter.com
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