August 16, 2026, 2:49 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Those who want to watch sports events live don’t always use official broadcast options. Illegal streams are often quickly found on the internet. This creates a problem for rights holders: If a block occurs only after a broadcast ends, it loses much of its impact.
A new study for the European Parliament therefore recommends a faster approach against such offerings. Blocking or removing reported illegal live streams should occur within 30 minutes. The study was authored by Giovanni Maria Riccio from the University of Salerno. The legal scholar sees the different regulations within the EU as a major obstacle to a unified and swift approach.
Voluntary Measures Show Too Little Impact, According to Study
As early as 2023, the EU Commission issued recommendations to combat online piracy at live events. However, the study assesses that these voluntary measures have had only limited effects.
Accordingly, little has changed with illegal streams on traditional websites. At the same time, more users are turning to illegal IPTV offerings, meaning television over the internet, and special apps. Therefore, non-binding recommendations are not enough to effectively limit the spread of such offerings.
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Italy as an Example for Binding Regulations
Riccio advocates for binding rules in all member states. He cites Italy as an example. Since February 1, 2024, the “Piracy Shield” system has been in use there. Through this system, rights holders report internet addresses that distribute illegal broadcasts. The reports are automatically forwarded to providers. Subsequently, access to the reported addresses is blocked.
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The study is not only directed at operators of illegal streaming services. According to the recommendations, companies that technically enable such services could also be more strongly considered in the future. Companies that forward data traffic, provide servers, or offer VPN connections are mentioned. DNS services are also noted. They ensure that internet addresses can be found at all.
Protective Measures to Prevent Wrong Decisions
At the same time, the study includes proposals to avoid unintended blocks of legal offerings. Time-limited measures are planned. Additionally, authorities or courts should be able to review the proportionality of the blocks.
Whether these proposals will be implemented is currently open. According to the study, they are merely recommendations so far. No binding EU rules have yet emerged from them.