Out of an estimated 9.9 million avid football fans in France, about 3.5 million access competitions of L1 and L2 club programming illegally, according to an Ipsos study commissioned by France’s Professional Football League (LFP) and its commercial distributor LFP Media.
It gets worse: 59%, or 2 million, watch championship matches that are distributed legally via Ligue1+ and beIN Sports.
“A shortfall of hundreds of millions of euros for Ligue 1+,” said Douglas Lowenstein, legal director of LFP Media. “A fifth of football fans refuse to pay to watch football” in France.”
Anti-piracy actions
On March 18, the LFP announced an action taken by the Arras Public Prosecutor’s Office in criminal proceedings initiated by the LFP Group against defendants suspected of reselling illegal IPTV subscriptions.
During an investigation, some twenty users were identified, questioned, and subsequently subjected to a plea bargain resulting in fines ranging from €300 to €400. Penalties under Article 79-4 of the 1986 law can reach €7,500.
Why it matters
As Ligue 1+ reaches a milestone to provide complete and exclusive coverage of Ligue 1 matches, LFP Media is intensifying its anti-piracy efforts, which is central to its strategy to recruit new subscribers and promote French professional football.
Part of this effort is to strengthen the means available to rights holders, including creation of new criminal offenses in the Sports Code, and by implementing an automated, real-time blocking system.
Further reading
2 million people illegally watch Ligue 1 in France, according to the LFP. Article. March 23, 2026. by Sacha Nokovitch and Etienne Moatti. L’Equipe (France)
IPTV Piracy: Legal sanctions against about 20 users of piracy services. Press release. March 18, 2026. Ligue de Football (France)
