Serie A is collaborating with Meta to combat the illegal streaming of its matches on the company’s social media platforms.
As per the agreement, Serie A will have access to Meta’s tools for real-time monitoring, reporting and removal of any illegally streamed matches on Facebook and Instagram.
Luca Colombo, Country Director for Meta in Italy, commented: “In particular, we are helping the league to develop a software, which would make the reporting process easier and faster.
This move comes as Serie A is increasingly concerned about the impact of illegal streaming on the value of its broadcast agreements.
In March, the league secured five-year agreements with Telecom Italia and DAZN to broadcast its games in Italy. The league has reportedly earned around €4.5bn (£3.87bn) from these deals, with Comcast‘s pay-TV unit Sky also involved in the agreements.
Broadcast revenue has become an increasingly vital income source for clubs worldwide. Streaming companies have raised concerns about the impact of illegal streaming, often pointing to social media platforms as a major source where many illegal streams are found.
Earlier this year, France was scrutinised on this issue through a survey by Odoxa, which revealed that 5% of the French population watch football via illegal streaming. Additionally, 60% of respondents expressed an understanding of this practice.
The growing trend of watching sports through illegal methods has caused governments to step in. In 2023, for instance, a group of five people received jail sentences over a sophisticated illegal Premier League streaming operation, in which they had around 50,000 subscribers.
Italy has also bolstered its own defences and prevention techniques against illegal streaming. Earlier this month, Italian police dismantled a video piracy network, which hosted over 22 million users across Europe.
