Piracy threatens Pakistan’s streaming boom as platforms spend big on sports rights
Pakistan’s rapidly growing streaming industry is facing a significant piracy problem as local platforms invest heavily in premium sports and entertainment rights. Executives warn that unauthorized streaming undermines the exclusivity on which subscription based business models depend, reducing both subscription revenue and advertising income.
The financial stakes have increased considerably as competition for sports rights grows. The Pakistan Cricket Board said domestic television and digital rights for the Pakistan Super League’s 2026 to 2029 cycle attracted a record offer of Rs26.11 billion, approximately $94.2 million, the highest media rights valuation in Pakistani cricket history.
Streaming platform Myco holds Pakistan’s digital rights for ICC tournaments through 2027 and distributes events alongside platforms including Tamasha, Tapmad and ARY Zap. Myco CEO Ammar Hassan said platforms can spend millions acquiring exclusive content, but piracy weakens that investment because consumers have less incentive to subscribe when the same programming is freely available through unauthorized sources. Myco has also encountered illegal feeds of English Premier League matches distributed through cable operators and IPTV services.
Other Pakistani streaming companies are experiencing similar problems. Begin has nearly doubled its content acquisition budget over the past year while its audience expanded from approximately 200,000 to 3.2 million users in about 18 months. During a recent Barcelona versus Real Madrid El Clasico, the company identified more than 35 websites illegally streaming the match. Some were removed following reports but subsequently reappeared using different domains.
Piracy is also affecting negotiations between Pakistani platforms and international rights holders. According to Begin, media companies increasingly question whether expensive rights can be effectively monetized in a market where large numbers of viewers are accustomed to accessing unauthorized streams. This makes effective content protection an important factor in attracting international sports and entertainment rights.
Tamasha highlighted the dual financial impact of piracy. Illegal streams reduce potential subscription income while simultaneously diverting viewers whose numbers would otherwise generate advertising revenue. The importance of sports is visible in Tamasha’s audience figures: it reached 48.9 million active users during the first quarter of 2026, driven by the Pakistan Super League, before declining to 38.7 million in the second quarter as major sporting activity decreased.
Pakistan has introduced measures intended to improve intellectual property enforcement, including an online system launched by IPO Pakistan in 2025 that allows rights holders to submit and track piracy and counterfeiting complaints. However, the US Trade Representative’s 2026 Special 301 report said Pakistan had achieved only limited substantive progress and that piracy and counterfeiting remained widespread. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency registered 322 intellectual property infringement cases during 2025.
Overall, the article presents piracy as a growing threat to the sustainability of Pakistan’s emerging streaming ecosystem. As platforms invest increasingly large sums in exclusive sports and entertainment rights, effective anti piracy enforcement will be important to protecting revenues, maintaining exclusivity and supporting further investment in legitimate streaming services.
