The euphoria of the beginning risks fading very quickly. Three months after the launch with great fanfare of Ligue 1+, the platform created to save French football from the DAZN fiasco, the leaders of the LFP display a facade of optimism. With 1.08 million subscribers claimed, the bet seems poised to be successful. However, behind these flattering statistics lies an alarming economic reality. The specter of piracy, far from being contained, continues to siphon off a colossal share of potential revenue, directly threatening the long-term viability of the project.
IPTV piracy: the 400 million ball that is sinking French football
The observation is brutal: the loss of income linked to IPTV piracy is estimated at 400 million euros per year. According to a survey carried out by experts for the former broadcaster DAZN, nearly 8 million pirate boxes are in circulation in France, a figure which could rise to 9 million by the end of the year. These revenues, captured by criminal networks often linked to organized crime, completely escape the clubs. To give an idea, this sum is equivalent to the amount of TV rights that the League hoped to receive with its previous broadcaster. It is a real parallel economy which thrives on the back of French football.
Despite the League’s victorious communications on its legal actions, the struggle is akin to a fight of David against Goliath, where Goliath would be elusive. The hacking networks are fearsomely sophisticated, with infrastructures spread across the four corners of the world, from Laos to Russia to Eastern Europe. Arcom, the French regulator, seems helpless in the face of this technological hydra. Sporadic flow outages have no real impact on platforms capable of instantly reorganizing.
Ligue 1+ in danger: 8 million pirate boxes threaten its economic model
Clubs, the first victims of an asymmetrical war
In the end, it is the clubs who pay the bill. Dependent on TV rights for their survival, they see an essential financial windfall slipping away from them. LFP Media’s stated objective of reaching 2.25 million subscribers within four years seems illusory if the piracy tap is not turned off. Unlike their Italian or English counterparts who have tackled the problem head on with substantial resources, French actors still seem to be waiting for a miracle legislative solution which is slow in coming.
If the creation of Ligue 1+ made it possible to avoid the worst in the short term, the economic model remains extremely fragile. Without a radical response and technological means commensurate with the threat, French football will continue to chase money that it will never receive, risking slow but certain financial asphyxiation.
