ALLIANCE TACKLES SWISS IPTV PIRACY

According to a study by the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA), around 634,000 people in Switzerland use IPTV services that are offered illegally and have acquired content by unlawful means. Anyone who uses such services is exposing themselves to a high risk of fraud, phishing, malware and identity theft, as well as misuse of personal data and payment information. Investigations by European law enforcement agencies have shown that illegal IPTV platforms may be linked to more serious criminal activity.

In a raid in 2024 involving several European countries, including Switzerland, Europol reported evidence of money laundering and organised cybercrime in relation to a large, illegal streaming network. This makes it clear that illegal streaming offers not only harm broadcasters and rights holders, but potentially cause harm to everyone in the digital world. This is why a broad alliance of Swiss and international players from the worlds of sport, media and entertainment is launching the new awareness-raising campaign to stop illegal streaming: StreamSafe.

The alliance brings together leagues, clubs, broadcasters, rights holders and media companies with one common goal – making consumers aware of the risks and impacts of illegal streaming and encouraging them to watch sport and entertainment in a safe and legal way. StreamSafe aims to change the perception that using illegal streaming offers is a harmless method of saving money and highlight the growing problem.

The need to raise awareness is underlined by the AAPA study. The 634,000 figure equates to 9.4 per cent of the Swiss population aged 16 to 74, which is slightly higher than the European average of 8.9 per cent.

This problem is not confined to Switzerland. Across Europe, the AAPA data show that, in 2025, 34.4 million people in the 27 countries in the EU and the UK accessed illegal IPTV services – around 2.5 times as many as in 2018. This causes potential losses running into billions for legitimate providers of audiovisual services.

The economic impact of illegal IPTV is significant in many different ways. It deprives legitimate broadcasters, rights holders and the entire sports and entertainment ecosystem of important revenue. In sport, revenue also benefits leagues and clubs and helps finance structures at various levels of sport, for example in junior and grassroots sport as well as elite-level sport. According to the AAPA study, legitimate pay-TV providers in Switzerland alone potentially lose as much as CHF70 million (€76m) in revenue each year resulting from piracy.

StreamSafe is supported by organisations from across the sports and entertainment ecosystem, including clubs and leagues, broadcasters, rights holders and media companies. Professionals from the Brack Super League in football and the National League in ice hockey are supporting the initiative with personal video messages in which they address fans directly.

The campaign is set to be rolled out throughout Switzerland, including in the Super League and National League stadiums, on the schedules and platforms of the participating broadcasters and streaming services, in selected cinemas and in various media. Participating clubs and partners increase their reach through their own digital and social media channels. The following companies are members of the StreamSafe alliance: Nagravision, SFL, National League, LALIGA, Bundesliga, Premier League, UEFA, Canal+, Swisscom, blue Sport, Sky, Sunrise, mySports, CH Media and DAZN.

According to Claudius Schäfer, CEO of the Swiss Football League, revenues from media rights are an important foundation for developing professional football in Switzerland.

“Illegal streaming puts these revenues at risk and ultimately harms the clubs and the sport as a whole. With StreamSafe, we’re making a clear statement against this trend together with our partners. At the same time, we want to make fans aware of the risks of illegal offers and increase their appreciation of the value of legal sports broadcasts,” Schäfer added.

Denis Vaucher, CEO of the National League, commented.

“Illegal streaming deprives our clubs of funds that are also really important for supporting the next generation of talent. By participating in the StreamSafe campaign, we want to help ensure that our matches are watched legally and fairly.”

Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, said:

“It is a global threat that drains resources from clubs, players and the entire football ecosystem, from the elite level to the grassroots. At LaLiga, we have been fighting it for years through technology, legal action and international cooperation, and we know that many of these platforms are backed by organised networks that also put fans’ data and money at risk. That is why we support StreamSafe. The fight against piracy is only effective if leagues, operators and authorities act together, in Switzerland too.”

Morten Solbakken, Executive Vice President and COO of Nagravision, warned that while watching illegal streaming might seem like a great deal for consumers, not only does it negatively impact content creators, it also exposes consumers to many unpleasant surprises, such as phishing, hacking and manipulative content.

“Nagravision ensures that consumers get access to trusted content and avoid becoming targets for hackers and other dark forces on the Web. After all, can you really trust the thieves?” asked Solbakken.

Source: advanced-televison.com