Meta and the Italian Serie A sealed a deal to cooperate against illegal live streaming of soccer matches, they said yesterday, as Italy’s top-flight league steps up efforts to protect the value of its broadcast rights.
Under the deal, Serie A would obtain access to some Meta tools for real-time monitoring, reporting and fast removal of any Serie A games illegally streamed on the US giant’s social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.
“In particular, we are helping the league to develop a software which would make the reporting process easier and faster,” said Luca Colombo, country director for Meta in Italy.
Photo: Reuters
TV rights make up the bulk of revenue for Serie A teams including champions Inter, league leaders Atalanta, AC Milan, Napoli, Lazio, Roma and Juventus.
Online search giants and social media platforms have often been blamed by rights holders for facilitating access to illegal live-streaming services.
Under five-year contracts to show games in its home market until 2029, Serie A has pocketed about 4.5 billion euros (US$4.7 billion) from sports streaming platform DAZN and Comcast’s pay-TV unit Sky.
“The cooperation with Meta is a first step, and I hope that other platforms will join our efforts,” Serie A chief executive Luigi De Siervo said.
Italian authorities have intensified efforts to counter online piracy, which is costing billions of euros to broadcasters and sports leagues globally.
Rome last year approved a law which enabled the country’s communication watchdog to swiftly suppress pirate streaming channels with a focus on live events, including sports.
This month Italian police dismantled a video piracy network which had more than 22 million users across Europe, with an alleged turnover of 3 billion euros a year.
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