At 8:15 p.m. and then 9:15 p.m. last Sunday, viewers who wanted to enjoy the PSG-OM match by bypassing the official broadcaster DAZN were disappointed. Arcom orchestrated a crackdown on illegal IPTV sites. 171 domain names were blocked at strategic times: 30 minutes before kickoff, 30 minutes after.
Strike operation against IPTV
As L'Equipe reports, the operation was organized with the help of the Association for the Protection of Sports Programs (APPS), which brings together broadcasters. DAZN, but also Canal+ and others who agreed to strike a major blow during the Ligue 1 Clasico. “In the fight against piracy, what benefits one benefits the other. the other, given that IPTV offers offer all the channels," explains a regulator agent.
The objective was to make life impossible for pirates in order to discourage them, says Martin Ajdari, president of Arcom. He adds: "We are in a cops and robbers type situation, with constant innovations to circumvent the law. We know that the rules put in place will never be completely watertight." Last October, during the first leg, 340 domain names were blocked, double the number this Sunday. A difference that can be explained by the background work carried out by the authorities since: "massive" operations are actually carried out every weekend.
The Authority has blocked 1,293 domain names since the beginning of the year, almost as many as in the whole of 2023. The procedures between broadcasters, who must report the existence of IPTV sites, and Arcom have been accelerated. It is now faster and easier to block a site, even if it still requires human validation.
The blocking is completely automated as soon as the request arrives in the United Kingdom as in Italy. A difference that has sparked criticism at DAZN, which looks with jealousy at the British and Italian efficiency: the two countries manage to block 10,000 and 18,000 sites respectively... in two days. Arcom is not closed to an automated process, but the law will have to be changed.
Source: L'Équipe
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