BOXINGBOXING NEWS

Illegal PPV Streaming Is Harming Boxing – ‘Criminal Networks' Exist

hasib

15 June 2024

There are growing worries over the rise of illegal PPV streaming in combat sports.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, it is alleged that around 20 million people watched the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight illegally. It is believed that there were 2,000 streaming locations globally. 18 percent, which is equal to around four million people, were in the UK. Meanwhile, 25 percent were alleged based in North America, equivalent to 5 million people.

It is further believed that $120 million was lost in revenue. Broadcasters have responded by taking more measures. Amazon Prime Video has its measures and works with PPV.com to close down unauthorized streams. Mark Boccardi, a senior vice president of programming, also spoke about the difficulties of identifying the perpetrators. According to Sportico, illegal streaming cost the sports industry $28 billion last year. While those figures may not be conclusive, those from the boxing industry have demanded action.

Streaming Problems

"Piracy now is certainly as bad or worse as it’s ever been and if someone wants to call it a crisis, I wouldn’t disagree. The ubiquity of streaming – there used to be a resistance factor, like it was hard to find and difficult to do – is such now that people can stream from many different sources. It’s a major, major problem, and a low estimate is it’s taking away 30 percent of our buys," Stephen Espinoza

"It’s prevalent. So much of this stuff is cloak and dagger. You’re trying to reach out to someone whose real identity you might never get to know. Anytime you have something you’re charging for and consumers are trying to find a way to circumvent that and get it for free, that’s a huge problem," Mark Boccardi

"Sports piracy is theft. DAZN invests a significant amount in combating it, using technology to monitor the activity of users, and educating fans about the risks. It may seem a victimless crime, but most illegal feeds are provided by criminal networks or carry the risk of phishing and identity theft. Our advice is don’t risk the sport you care about – or your own data – by using illegal feeds," DAZN spokesperson

Solutions

Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the following factors. The PPV price for the Saudi boxing fights have been around $69.99 in the US. The fights have been broadcast on DAZN as the global partner. Meanwhile, Sky Sports, TNT and ESPN have also aired the fights. DAZN was based on ending the PPV model to give fans a more affordable boxing experience through a subscription service.

If fans have to continuously pay big for PPV fights, it only increases the conditions for illegal streaming to thrive. If there is a desire to end this, there has to be a balance on what can be charged. Fighters may have to accept a lower purse for cheaper PPV prices. Meanwhile, setting the PPV price high could be reserved only for the biggest bouts. That would create an incentive for boxing fans to invest in groundbreaking events. So far, the current model is simply not working.