news English Premier League launches anti-piracy campaign to deter Hong Kong’s illegal streamers

[Salieri]

The English Premier League launched an anti-piracy initiative in Hong Kong on Sunday in an effort to convince viewers to stop illegally streaming matches ahead of the new campaign.

The league’s inaugural “Boot Out Piracy” campaign, which aims to shed light on the substandard viewer experience and the potential threats of malware and ransomware, was launchedsix days ahead of the start of the 2020-21 season. Local broadcaster Now TV holds the official television and digital broadcasting rights for the coming season.

According to a survey of 1,000 people in Hong Kong, run by London-based research consultancy Populus, 71 per cent of respondents trying to watch football “via illicit means had experienced disruption or unreliability most if not all of the time”, the Premier League said in an official release.

The survey, in December 2019, revealed that 26 per cent of those who had previously watched pirated channels said they stopped doing so after their device became infected by a virus or malware.

Now TV’s English Premier League channel commentators at a press conference announcing broadcasting arrangement for the 2018-19 season. Photo: Handout

Players such as Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling – along with managers such as Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Chelsea’s Frank Lampard – will feature in a forthcoming anti-piracy campaign, also launched in Malaysia and Indonesia, before the league starts. They will focus on the problems that come with illegally streaming matches, which include delays, broken links, pop-up advertisements and other threats that “often lead to data theft and fraud”.

Two online Chinese-language poster campaigns included slogans such as “No need to buffer, no need for huge delays, English Premier League must be watched in high-definition”, and “No need for broken links, no need for illegal links, English Premier League must be watched in high-definition”.

The English Premier League launches a campaign to deter illegal streaming of league football matches ahead of the 2020-21 season. Photo: Handout

The Premier League opened an Asia-Pacific office in Singapore in 2018 primarily to fight piracy and support broadcast partners in the region.

“Football fans in Hong Kong are among the world’s most passionate,” said the Premier League’s director of legal services, Kevin Plumb. “We want them to watch Premier League action safely and enjoy the best viewing experience via our official broadcast partner channels.

Premier League launches campaign to deter illegal streaming of league football matches ahead of the 2020-21 season. Photo: Handout

“We want Premier League fans to watch our matches in the best possible way, not ruined by time lags, glitches or viruses and malicious malware. There is a hidden cost to watching football through pirate services and this campaign reminds fans it is not worth compromising broadcast quality or the risk of becoming a victim of data theft or fraud,” Plumb added.

Now TV offers English Premier League coverage in Hong Kong as part of it HK$278 per month “Soccer Fever” package.

“Now TV attaches great importance to the protection of intellectual property rights and respects originality and creativity,” said Derek Choi, head of pay TV at PCCW Media Group. “Being Hong Kong’s home of sports, Now TV strives to deliver the best viewing experience to our customers, with minimal time lags and delays.”

The Manchester United Class of ’92 practice keep-ups at a Now TV event in 2017. Photo: Handout

The Premier League said it had already taken action against illegal apps and websites in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, and was working with law enforcement authorities to bring criminal action against suppliers of illicit streaming devices and website operators across the region, including in Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

In 2018, Hong Kong customs arrested two men for illegally live-streaming Fifa World Cup matches from Now TV paid channels through online broadcasting platforms

 – the first case of its kind. Anti-piracy operations were increased following reports from then-official World Cup broadcast provider Now TV.