According to the Swedish Professional Football Leagues, the Swedish government has opened an investigation. In December, 2024, Svensk Elitfotboll’s Secretary-General, Johan Lindvall, visited the Ministry of Justice alongside SHL’s CEO Jenny Silfverstrand and Sara Lindbäck from the Swedish Rights Alliance to present the sports ecosystem, its societal impact, and why continued rights infringements on this scale are unacceptable.
Quoted by Swedish Professional Football, “Money that should have gone to rights holders instead ends up in the pockets of criminals. This naturally has consequences for the entire film and TV industry. Unfortunately, Sweden is one of the EU countries where this problem is most severe,” said Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand at the government’s press conference.
According to reporting by the Sweden Herald, the Swedish tax authority estimated that the film industry lost around half a billion kronor (about US$47 million) in 2018. Aiming to justify the need for a new study, Ms. Liljestand said “Technological development and the shift towards streamed TV have moved quite fast even during these six, seven years that have passed since then. So it’s clear that we believe the figures look a bit different today.”
“I don’t think everyone realizes it, but this means less revenue for clubs, for children’s and youth sports,” added Minister of Culture Jakob Forssmed regarding the issue of illegal IPTV.
In Sweden, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) holds the broadcasting rights for Allsvenskan and Superettan. WBD also welcomes the fact that the issue is now being discussed at the government level and that an investigation has been initiated.
Further reading
The Swedish government’s IPTV investigation welcomed by Swedish Professional Football Leagues and TV rights holder Warner Bros. Discovery. Press release. February 6, 2025. Svensk Elitfotboll (Swedish Professional Football Leagues)
The government wants to ban IPTV – prohibition is being investigated. Article. January 24, 2025. Sweden Herald
Why it matters
Each year, Swedes collectively spend 1.25 billion SEK on illegal IPTV. Usage has doubled in the past three years. According to Mediavision, over 700,000 Swedish households purchase illegal IPTV services annually.
“Illegal IPTV is a serious problem for entertainment companies, especially in the Nordic region. It poses a threat to users, who risk exposure to malware and identity theft, while also causing financial harm to the entertainment sector, preventing producers from reinvesting in new and future content. We actively work to combat these services through legal measures and international collaborations to disrupt their operations. The commitment shown by both the Swedish government and the EU Commission is encouraging, and we will continue to collaborate with them to protect consumers, creators, and the content they produce,” said Christina Sulebakk, EVP, Managing Director of WBD Nordics.
“Matches distributed on various pirate sites are a big problem for us and something we actively work to prevent. The fact that the issue is now being addressed at the government level in Sweden and that an investigation has been launched is a step in the right direction to tackle the problem,” said Jessica Linnman, Commercial Director of Swedish Professional Football Leagues.
