France shifts to IP-level blocking to combat illegal sports streams
France's regulator Arcom has implemented a new method to combat illegal sports streaming, allowing them to black out illegal streams by blocking IP addresses. This technology was tested during the French Open and will be used at the 2026 World Cup to target illegal IPTV services. The move aims to recover an estimated €290 million annually lost by French sports organizations due to piracy.
Key Takeaways
- Arcom successfully trialled IP-address blocking during the May 2026 French Open, cutting signals for approximately 12 viewers.
- The regulator estimates illegal streaming costs French sports organizations approximately €290 million in annual lost revenue.
- Unlike previous DNS-based blocking, targeting IP addresses prevents pirates from bypassing restrictions by simply shifting to new web domains.
- BeIn Sports and the French league (LFP) are advocating for further legislative measures to simplify the blocking of pirated IPTV devices.
- Survey data indicates 18% of people in France consume TV content illegally, including 12% of football fans using pirate streams.
Why It Matters
This shift from DNS to IP-level blocking marks a critical upgrade in the technical arms race between regulators and pirate networks. By bypassing easily mutable domain names and targeting source servers directly, Arcom is effectively closing a primary loophole that has plagued French broadcasters like BeIn Sports and Canal+. This moves France toward the more aggressive enforcement models used in Spain and the UK, signaling a standardized European crackdown on IPTV. Watch for the June 29 French parliamentary debate to see if Arcom gains enhanced legal authority for automated, real-time IP blackouts.
Additional Context
The technical expansion of Arcom’s powers comes amid a broader regional crackdown on illegal distribution networks. Per LadBible, June 2026, a coordinated law enforcement effort titled Operation Kratos 2 recently dismantled nine major organized crime groups and removed over 27,000 illegal streaming URLs across 13 countries in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup. This multi-national offensive highlights the industry's shift from reactive site-blocking to proactive, infrastructure-level disruption co-led by Europol and the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP). Legal pressures on consumers are also escalating. Per Spliiit, May 2026, the Arras prosecutor’s office in June 2026 issued some of the first direct fines to end users of pirated IPTV services in France, with penalties ranging from €300 to €400 per person. This movement to hold individual viewers accountable coincides with major broadcasters like DAZN and beIN withholding rights payments to the LFP, alleging that insufficient anti-piracy efforts have devalued their media investments. Under the new SREN Law passed in May 2024, Arcom has gained the authority to order ISPs to block offending traffic within hours and without prior judicial intervention, a power rightsholders say is essential for the live nature of sports broadcasting.
Read full article at connexionfrance.com
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