Monday 10 September 2018

Social media leading platform for FIFA World Cup 2018 piracy: Report


FIFA World Cup 2018 piracy: Report



Facebook alone has accounted for 8,462 of more than 40,000 illegal streaming links detected for the Fifa World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global leader providing OTT and TV platforms, content protection, and advanced data solutions, has released a series of reports that detail facts on global illegal streaming during the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
VO’s analysis has identified a total of 40,713 piracy links were detected during the FIFA World Cup 2018. Social media played a critical role in piracy during the tournament, with a total of 14,615 links for the three most popular social media networks, representing 41,371,139 viewers.
“The number of illegal streaming networks is growing, and this is an issue that needs to be dealt with urgently,” said Christine Maury Panis, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Security, at Viaccess-Orca. “Creating awareness about the end-to-end chain and sharing it with public stakeholders is important, so that each player has a deep view on the overall landscape and the part it can play in absolving this problem. We hope that these reports provide clarity about the reality of illegal streaming and show how operators can deter it with intelligent anti-piracy services.”
The results of the research highlighted the critical role played by social media in the number of pirate networks being located. A total of 14,615 links were discovered on social media sites, with 8,462 on Facebook and a further 1,988 on YouTube. These figures represented 41,371,139 viewers, according to the VO data.
Christine Maury Panis, executive vice president of general counsel and security at Viaccess-Orca, said: “The number of illegal streaming networks is growing, and this is an issue that needs to be dealt with urgently. Creating awareness about the end-to-end chain and sharing it with public stakeholders is important, so that each player has a deep view on the overall landscape and the part it can play in absolving this problem. We hope that these reports provide clarity about the reality of illegal streaming and show how operators can deter it with intelligent anti-piracy services.”
Perhaps the most high-profile incident of piracy at the tournament came in the case of BeoutQ – a Saudi-based station operating in the Middle East and North Africa regions, with the pirate channel accused of stealing the signal of BeIN Sports and broadcasting the coverage as its own. The issue has grown since the World Cup, with BeoutQ alleged to have stolen a range of sporting rights from BeIN since the tournament ended.
The illegal coverage has grown out of a trade ban between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which meant that fans in Saudi Arabia are not able to watch BeIN. This then resulted in the World Cup not being officially broadcast in Saudi Arabia, despite its national team featuring at the tournament for the first time since 2006.
Over the course of 32 days, VO’s anti-piracy services monitored a selection of group-phase football matches and all final phase matches to assess content piracy in real time. As part of its 360-degree security services, VO partnered with LeakID to track, fight, and dereference links for illegal streaming sites.
VO’s anti-piracy services empower operators to combat illegal streaming on the web, whether premium content is distributed via networks, portals, social networks, plugins, or OTT STBs. Through agreements with user-generated content sites, search engines, and social networks, including YouTube, Google, and Facebook, VO’s services enable operators to remove illegal links within minutes.
In addition, VO’s anti-piracy services collect legally relevant documentation to strengthen the fight against piracy.
The World Cup, which saw hosts Russia reach the quarter-finals, was won by France, who beat Croatia 4-2 in the final.

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