Given the profusion of subscriptions to access sports competitions, some Internet users have chosen to become illegal. In a report published on October 25, Arcom (ex-CSA), the audiovisual regulatory authority, produces a quantified assessment of the habits of the French in terms of sports streaming. In their report, we learned that 21% of Internet users have watched sports competitions illegally.
Among the most affected sports is football in the first place, followed by tennis, motor sports, rugby, basketball and boxing.
New lockdown measures
Also in its report, Arcom details the illegal means used to access these contests. Among all French Internet users, 13% use illegal streaming sites. Platforms that are precisely the subject of a new law from January 1, 2022, which allows Arcom to request operators to block all “twin” sites of sites previously indicated by the justice, without a new procedure.
Arcom welcomes the application of this measure, revealing that 40% of illegal streaming consumers have been blocked. Among them, 37% have stopped falling into this practice, 15% have opted for a legal offer. However, a large proportion (46%) were content to turn to another illicit streaming offer, limiting the effects of such blackouts. According to the Informé site, a total of 835 domains have been blocked since the beginning of the year.
Still according to figures from Arcom, 9% of French Internet users use unofficial IPTV boxes to illegally access sports broadcasts. In addition, 3% of Internet users choose to use a VPN, which allows them to benefit from sports rights abroad.
Source: BFM TV
