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. It gets worse: 59%, or 2 million, watch championship matches that are distributed legally via Ligue1+ and beIN Sports.
This, according to an Ipsos study commissioned by France’s Professional Football League (LFP) and its commercial distributor LFP Media which was announced at a March conference called “From sporting peril to public order disturbance: the race against piracy” held by the Association for the Protection of Sports Programs (APPS).
“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.”
Penalties for pirates
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.
Site blocking is on the way
On March 27, beIN Sports France posted some details about the APPS meeting, which brought together the entire sports ecosystem — including broadcasters, federations, public authorities and European players.
At the meeting, beIN Media Group Secretary General Caroline Guenneteau commented that Legislation before the French National Assembly, already passed by the Senate, would give the communications regulator Arcom the means to be able to automate the implementation of pirate site blocking, according to beIN Media France.
Ms. Guenneteau said that “everyone is ready to be able to block IP addresses, including the ISPs with whom we signed an agreement in 2023. They have set up a whole automation system to allow these blockages. Our current body of legislation does not allow us to do so…” Changes to the law that would open the ability to automate real-time blocking process may be voted upon as early as June 2026.
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)
(Comments about APPS “From sporting peril to public order disturbance: the race against piracy.”). Social media post. March 28, 2026. by Federico Pestellini, beIN Media France via LinkedIn
IPTV Piracy: Legal sanctions against about 20 users of piracy services. Press release. March 18, 2026. Ligue de Football (France)
