Report: Live event piracy soars
A report by Grant Thornton, together with the Live Content Coalition, finds that piracy of live events (like sports and similar broadcasts) is increasing significantly.
Key findings:
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In 2024, about 10.8 million takedown notices were submitted to digital intermediaries (DSPs, online platforms, etc.) for unauthorized live broadcasts. In just the first half of 2025, that number leapt to 26.2 million over an 18-month span — a 142% increase.
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Despite so many notices, most are ineffective: 89% failed to lead to suspension of illegal streams.
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The rate of suspending illegal streams has dropped: from 19% in the second half of 2024 to just 5% in the first half of 2025.
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Speed of response is also slow. Only 6% of violations are processed within 30 minutes; 21% take over two hours.
The report also highlights problems with certain service providers:
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Dedicated Server Providers (DSPs) get ~46% of all takedown notices and have very low effectiveness (i.e. most notices do not lead to suspensions).
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Hosting providers like CDNs and reverse proxy services frequently are involved, sometimes being used to obscure where pirate streams are hosted.
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Although online platforms have high suspension rates, illegal streams often reappear quickly (within 24 hours) after takedown.
The report calls for more coordinated action: better legal tools, more institutional cooperation, use of technology, public awareness campaigns (such as one by La Liga warning of risks including malware and identity theft), and improved enforcement.
