In spite of the crackdowns in Spain and UK, most athletes still believe that it is okay to use illegal pirate services.

Many professional athletes consider illegal streaming of sports to be harmless, despite the fact that broadcasters pay their salaries through major TV deals.

In a blunt conclusion, the Sport Industry Report 2026 revealed that 66% sports professionals and 58% fans view pirate streaming as acceptable.

As the cost of watching sports legally increases, fans are less likely to do so.

With football rights split across multiple platforms, UK supporters could soon be paying more than £1,350 a year just to follow top-level matches on TV.

READ MORE Individual fines can be imposed on home viewers of pirated La Liga soccer games in Spain

But the numbers reveal an obvious contradiction. Broadcasting agreements remain the biggest source of revenue for clubs and players, yet many people who profit from them seem to be relaxed about fans circumventing the system.

Authorities do not.

In the UK, police and rights holders have intensified their crackdown on ‘dodgy’ Fire Sticks by jailing illegal streaming operators and targeting millions of users.

Spain has gone further.

READ MORE Murcia telecoms company investigated for pirating football matches broadcast to bars and houses in Spain

By 2024, the country will instruct its courts to take legal actions against anyone who pirates sports events using illegal websites or streaming service.

Engel Systems SL was the first company to be found guilty under the new order by a Pontevedra court for breaching copyright by selling units, and was subsequently fined €673,000.

The Porvincial Court of Malaga recently handed down a landmark ruling that sentenced the members of a notorious streaming group known as Servicio-IPTV up to 3 years in prison. This was for distributing premium pay-TV channels like Movistar+.

READ MORE Spain shuts down the most popular illegal football streaming services in the country

The group had sold access to over 8,000 channels for as little as €50 per year, causing significant financial damage to content owners like Telefónica and Disney.

This decision represents a major shift in Spain’s attitude towards piracy. Courts now recognize the economic harm caused by piracy and enforce prison sentences.

It’s a stark reminder that while piracy may be tolerated by many – including athletes themselves – authorities are stepping up enforcement in response to its growing prevelance.

Piracy is on the rise, even as crackdowns are intensified.

READ MORE IPTV crackdown in Spain: First-ever sentence for pirate TV sees company fined €670,000 and its employees up to €7,000 each

According to Sport Industry Report, 67% fans and 50% professionals believe that watching live sport in the near future will be considered a luxury. A reality which is pushing illegal streaming even further into mainstream culture.

Sport faces a tough choice as pirated content is becoming more and more normal. Lower the price of access to its audience or continue criminalising it.

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