Serie A and Google team up to tackle online piracy

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Tech giant to remove video apps from Play Store illegally streaming Italian soccer’s top flight.

- Partnership will lead to “a level of protection unique in the world”, says Lega Serie A CEO
- Recent study from Synamedia and Ampere found that sports rights holders are missing out on US$28.3bn per year due to piracy

Italian soccer’s Serie A has stepped up its fight against online piracy by agreeing a deal with Google that will see the technology giant remove video apps from its content platform that enable users to illegally watch live games.

Under the new agreement, league organiser Lega Serie A said Google will use ‘innovative instruments’ to detect copyright infringement, ensuring greater protection of its products. It added that Google has already removed apps from its Play Store that have been illegally reproducing content owned by Italian soccer’s top flight.

“We have achieved great results in the fight against piracy, but we cannot let our guard down because organised crime is always finding new ways to damage our sector, to the detriment not only of the rights holders, but also of licensees and fans,” said Luigi De Siervo, Lega Serie A chief executive.

He added: “We will soon reach a level of protection unique in the world.”

Fabio Vaccarono, chief executive of Google Italia, added: “The fight against piracy represents a constant commitment for Google, also through the development and continuous improvement of ad hoc technologies and dedicated programs, available to content owners to protect their rights on our platforms.

“Meetings and dialogue with rights holders are essential for a quality result. The successful collaboration with Lega Serie A is proof of this.”

The tie-up follows the news in March that English soccer’s Premier League and Spanish top-tier La Liga secured the removal of the Mobdro mobile application, which was illegally streaming games from both competitions. Prior to its takedown, Mobdro had been downloaded by more than 100 million users and was considered the largest pirate streaming app.

A recent study by video technology company Synamedia and market research firm Ampere Analysis has also highlighted the impact of piracy on sport’s revenues. The report found that sports service providers and rights holders are missing out on up to US$28.3 billion in new revenue each year as a result of piracy. It added that over-the-top (OTT) sports streaming services alone would stand to gain US$5.4 billion by eradicating piracy.

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