The Italian broadcaster Mediaset announced that it joined Piracy Shield, the initiative of AGCOM, Italy’s Communications Authority; as a rights-holder. Mediaset noted that anti-piracy is “particularly relevant” when it comes to sports. Mediaset reported immediate results: 67 sources were blocked from illegally broadcasting live matches of the last round of Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) competition.
Like other broadcasters of live sports content – Premier League, La Liga, and virtually other major sports league around the world come to mind – Mediaset has declared “zero tolerance” for any form of piracy or cybercrime.
Piracy Shield was approved by Italian regulators last August and went into production service at the end of 2023. It has come under criticism in its early days for blocking legitimate traffic; in one case, enough for one ISP to exit the Italilan market.
Further reading
Mediaset on the field in the fight against online piracy and for the protection of the Italian Cup. Article. April 4, 2024. Sport Mediaset
The boy who cried wolf? False positives blocked by Italy’s Piracy Shield. Article. by Steven Hawley. March 4, 2024. Piracy Monitor
Why it matters
“The rights of those who invest in the creation, production and dissemination of original content must be firmly defended in order to promote a secure digital environment and for the protection of all workers in the audiovisual industry,” said Mediaset.
Well and good, but the Piracy Shield platform has suffered a huge setback as the inner workings of the platform itself have been exposed, and criticism has built over its administration by AGCOM
