Piracy isn’t just a nuisance in streaming, it’s a billion-dollar black hole. Every year, the industry bleeds money while pretending it is just a “cost of doing business.” Meanwhile, pirates are laughing all the way to the bank.

Billions left on the field

Media businesses are fully aware of the damage caused by piracy:

Stack it all up and piracy drains the equivalent of twice Netflix’s 2024 revenue. That is not background noise, that is an existential threat.

All defense, no goals

These companies, and others, aren’t just mourning their losses. They are tackling the issue head-on with targeted countermeasures:

  • LaLiga runs a 50-person “War Room” and pushes an awareness campaign: “You got pirated football, they got you.”
  • MultiChoice has a considerable investment in investigations, law enforcement raids and lawsuits.
  • Premier League partners with law enforcement to shut down sites.

Some of these actions have successfully dismantled large criminal organizations that targeted millions of users. However, much remains to be done.

Close one site, and another pops up. Block one CDN, and another takes its place. Arrest one pirate, and two more start their “business.” As LaLiga’s Head of Operations for Digital and Audiovisual Antifraud put it: “They (figures) point to an ecosystem in which piracy is not an exception, but a parallel economy, professionalised and globalised.” (Source)

Whose problem is it, anyway?

To make matters worse, it is still unclear who ultimately owns the problem:

  • Streaming platforms argue it is on the sports organizations.
  • Sports organizations point back at the platforms and distributors for not implementing the right measures.

The end result is half-measures and finger-pointing. Sports organizations cannot be left solely responsible, and streaming platforms need to find a fair and sustainable way to justify the investment required.

Why is everyone running out the clock?

Strict anti-piracy demands risk scaring off buyers. In film and TV, where content supply seems endless, sellers often drop requirements just to close the deal. Short-term gain becomes long-term loss.

A smarter play

As football legend Johan Cruyff said: “If we keep the ball, they can’t score.” The same applies to streaming. Stay in control, and pirates cannot win.

Instead of pushing endlessly on the hamster wheel of lawsuits and raids, the industry needs a unified prevention playbook. Legal action must continue, but baseline security should be non-negotiable. Keep it simple, achievable, sustainable, enforceable, and universal:

  • Encrypt content and keys with reliable DRM.
  • Lock down keys and app data with application protection and monitoring.
  • Protect CDN and DRM traffic with end-to-end encryption (beware weak SSL termination).
  • Watermark content to trace leaks wherever they land.

None of this is science fiction. It is feasible, affordable, and scalable. If the majors enforce it, everyone downstream benefits.

The Final Score

Right now, billions are still being lost despite serious efforts. Pirates adapt faster than the enforcers, because reactive policing does not scale.

Until prevention becomes the standard, giving legal action more impact, piracy will not just remain a problem. It will keep winning the game.