Canal+ and LaLiga widen the anti-piracy fight across nearly 50 markets

Canal+ and Spain's LaLiga announced an anti-piracy partnership on 11 September covering nearly 50 countries in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. The agreement joins a major rights holder and broadcaster around investigations, technical tools and policy advocacy, but its commercial terms were not disclosed.

The organisations' joint release says they will exchange intelligence, coordinate enforcement strategies, develop technical countermeasures and promote stronger legal frameworks. Reuters independently reported the geographic scope and described the pact as extending existing cooperation against illegal sports streams.

Coordination, not a new blocking power

The announcement does not create a new power to block websites by itself. In France, courts and the audiovisual regulator Arcom operate within legislation that allows rights holders to seek rapid measures against services illegally retransmitting sports. The partnership may improve the evidence and coordination behind those requests; the public release does not specify a new consumer-facing enforcement system.

Arcom's 2025 review provides a useful benchmark. The regulator said illicit consumption of cultural and sports content had fallen 34% since 2021, while an estimated 7.7 million internet users — 14% of the online population — still used illegal services. It reported nearly 15,200 blocked domain names in 2025, with sports-related blocks rising sharply from the previous year.

The numbers require careful attribution

Those figures show both progress and adaptation. Blocking a domain can interrupt access, but mirror sites and replacement addresses appear quickly. Intelligence sharing across countries matters because hosting, payment, promotion and audiences often sit in different jurisdictions. It also raises the importance of precise procedures so that lawful services are not swept into broad technical measures.

Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada told Reuters that piracy costs the French audiovisual sector about €1.5 billion a year and reduces state tax receipts. That is an industry estimate presented by a party to the agreement, not a figure independently established by the pact. LaLiga's own accounts show why rights protection matters to clubs: Reuters reported a decline in broadcast revenue for the 2024–25 season while commercial revenue increased.

The agreement's effectiveness will depend on measurable outcomes that have not yet been published: investigations completed, illegal services interrupted, response times and any safeguards for legitimate websites. The announcement establishes a wider coordination framework; it does not, on its own, demonstrate how much piracy or lost revenue will fall.

Written for WHIF from the linked material. This article does not claim on-the-ground reporting. Our editorial standards.