Every year, so-called online piracy costs rights holders worldwide billions of dollars. In Sweden, the issue has not received much attention until now, as the Swedish government has just announced an investigation, citing Sweden as one of the EU countries where the problem is most severe.

“We want as many people as possible to watch Swedish elite football, and it is obviously a problem when some choose to watch matches on illegal sites instead of through our rights holder, Warner Bros. Discovery,” says Jessica Linnman, Commercial Director of Swedish Professional Football Leagues.

Each year, Swedes collectively spend 1.25 billion SEK on illegal IPTV. Usage has doubled in the past three years. According to Mediavision, 580,000 Swedish households purchase illegal IPTV services annually.

“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,” continues Jessica Linnman.

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.

“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,” says Christina Sulebakk, EVP, Managing Director of WBD Nordics.

Background

The issue of online piracy has been around for a long time but worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a dramatic increase in online piracy. In 2021, Europol highlighted concerns about intellectual property-related crimes during the pandemic.

In 2021, the European Parliament voted in favor of a report proposing measures to tackle online sports broadcast piracy and protect live broadcasting rights. Elite football’s efforts to combat the issue are primarily handled by the advocacy organization European Leagues, which works to influence policymakers in the EU Parliament in Brussels, as well as through awareness campaigns at home.

Before Christmas, Svensk Elitfotboll’s Secretary-General, Johan Lindvall, visited the Ministry of Justice alongside SHL’s CEO Jenny Silfverstrand and Sara Lindbäck from the Rights Alliance to present the sports ecosystem, its societal impact, and why continued rights infringements on this scale are unacceptable.

Now, in January 2025, the Swedish government has announced an investigation into how illegal IPTV can be countered.

“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.

“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.

While Sweden’s investigation is ongoing, European Leagues continues to work with the EU Commission, aiming to secure a mandate for legislative changes that will enable stricter measures against online sports broadcast piracy.