Coinciding with the release of a wide-ranging report on the extent and scale of piracy in the European Union by the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA), the StreamSafe Alliance announced its formation and mission. Based in Switzerland, the new Alliance also announced the launch of a consumer awareness campaign.
StreamSafe is an awareness initiative that brings together organisations from the Swiss and European sports and entertainment ecosystem to raise awareness of illegal streaming. The focus is on highlighting the risks to consumers and the impact that piracy has on sport, entertainment and the industry as a whole.
The Alliance is a partnership among some of the most powerful stakeholders in European sports, including leagues, clubs, broadcasters, rights holders and media companies.
Their common goal is to make consumers aware of the risks and impacts of illegal streaming and encouraging them to enjoy watching their favorite sport and entertainment in a safe and legal way. StreamSafe aims to change the perception that using illegal streaming offers is a harmless method of saving money and highlight the growing problem.
Members include StreamSafe alliance: Nagravision, Swiss Football League, National League, LALIGA, Bundesliga, Premier League, UEFA, Canal+, Swisscom, blue Sport, Sky, Sunrise, mySports, One+ and DAZN.
Impact in Switzerland
In Switzerland alone, the AAPA study found that an estimated 634,000 people in Switzerland use illegal IPTV services. This represents 9.4% of the Swiss population aged 16 to 74 and is slightly above the European average of 8.9%.
An estimated 153,000 people in Switzerland aged 16 to 24 use unauthorised IPTV services. This represents around 18.5% of this age group, almost twice the Swiss average of 9.4%.
Young people can be particularly attractive to providers of illegal streaming services: they are highly connected digitally, easy to reach through online and social media channels, and often have only a limited budget. This combination can make them especially susceptible to offers that appear attractive because they promise inexpensive or even free access to content.
Why it matters
Anyone who uses such services is exposing themselves to a high risk of fraud, phishing, malware and identity theft, as well as misuse of personal data and payment information. Investigations by European law enforcement agencies have shown that illegal IPTV platforms may be linked to more serious criminal activity.
In a raid in 2024 involving several European countries, including Switzerland, Europol reported evidence of money laundering and organised cybercrime in relation to a large, illegal streaming network. This makes it clear that illegal streaming offers not only harm broadcasters and rights holders, but potentially cause harm to everyone in the digital world.
Further reading
Illegal streaming in Switzerland: An estimated 634,000 people use unauthorized IPTV services. Press release. October 22, 2026. StramSafe Alliance (Swiss Alliance for Fair Entertainment)
StreamSafe launches national awareness campaign. Press release. October 22, 2026. StramSafe Alliance (Swiss Alliance for Fair Entertainment)
