Over a thousand establishments convicted of illegally broadcasting LALIGA

LALIGA has obtained more than a thousand convictions against HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) establishments that have engaged in piracy. These confirm the criminal nature of these offences and highlight the fight that LALIGA has been leading for years against this scourge, in defence of the legitimate rights of its Clubs.

This figure, which translates to a favourable ruling every two days, is the result of a change in strategy that LALIGA implemented in January 2019, when it began to report offenders suspected of committing piracy, via criminal proceedings, as a means of combating a problem that results in annual losses of around €600 million for football clubs.

An estimated 170,000 HORECA establishments in Spain are potential subscribers to football, of which approximately 50,000 were subscribed to LALIGA's HORECA channel in the 2023/24 season.

This season LALIGA investigators were able to identify at least 15,000 establishments using illegal broadcasts, committing not only an offence against the intellectual property of the Clubs, but also engaging in unfair competition against establishments that do comply with the law. The damaging effect is therefore double: against football and against the hotel and catering sector in Spain, resulting in losses of almost €35 million a year.

Regarding penalties, convicted offenders pay an average of around €1,000 between a fine and the payment of civil liability. Continuing to engage in the offence would entail progressively higher penalties due to repeat offences and having a criminal record.

The number of convictions will continue to increase, given there are currently 295 cases already in the pre-trial phase, and a further 133 pending trial, with 86% of the cases that go to trial end in a conviction.

Last season alone (2023/24), legal proceedings were brought directly against 738 other public establishments without the need to file a police report, thanks to the investigative work carried out by LALIGA inspectors who documented occurrences of piracy in person. LALIGA's activity goes beyond Spain's borders as it has filed more than 20 legal claims in the Principality of Andorra as well.

Legal action is essential. LALIGA has the equipment, technology and expertise to tackle this problem, but legal tools are needed to block content quickly and swiftly during matches, rather than after the live event is over.

LALIGA is a world leader and reference point in the fight against piracy and is a provider of audiovisual content protection services for companies like: Wimbledon (UK), Dorna Sports (Spain and Italy), A3Media (Spain), Liga F (Spain), Pro-League (Belgium) and Sky Sports (Mexico), among others.