In a recent interview, Tevas, the president of the Spanish Professional League, elaborated on his firm stance and the measures he has taken in the fight against broadcast piracy. He said that in order to maintain the healthy development of the sports industry, a two-pronged approach must be taken, not only to crack down on pirate broadcasters, but also to penalize fans who watch pirated broadcasts.
Tevas pointed out that broadcast piracy is one of the biggest challenges facing the global sports industry, causing huge financial losses to La Liga. According to statistics, as much as €700 million is lost each season due to broadcast piracy, of which €300 million comes from the domestic market and €400 million from the international market. These funds should have gone to the clubs, but are now in the pockets of pirate broadcasters, seriously damaging the clubs' interests.
The Spanish professional league has taken several measures in order to combat piracy. Tevas said that they have carried out a global crackdown, suing a number of companies including Google Inc. They have sued Google several times and forced them to take down a number of pirated broadcasting software, as Google Inc. has become one of the main problems with rampant piracy by condoning pirate broadcasters. These actions have curbed the growth of piracy to a certain extent.
In addition to cracking down on pirate broadcasters, Tevas also emphasized the importance of penalizing fans who watch pirated broadcasts. He revealed that thanks to a ruling passed by the Spanish courts, they were able to obtain specific identifying information about fans watching pirated broadcasts and fine them. The amount of the fine was fixed at 450.16 euros, and the vast majority of fans accepted the ruling and paid the fine, subsequently stopping their pirated viewing behavior.
Speaking about future plans, Tevas said that the Spanish professional league has been considering the possibility of playing La Liga games in the United States. If it eventually comes to fruition, the matches will be played in Miami. However, he also emphasized that if they do want to host a match in the United States, they will certainly respect the opinions of the participating clubs first and will not force teams to travel to the United States to play.
