France finds new way to crackdown on illegal sports streaming
Regulator can turn viewers’ screens black during games, blocking them from content
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France’s telecom regulator has unveiled a new tool to crackdown on illegal streamers – the ability to turn viewers’ screens black while they are watching.
This was first tested by regulator Arcom during the recent French Open (Roland Garros) where it blocked around a dozen viewers, and will be used more widely for the upcoming Fifa 2026 World Cup.
“The risk is a black screen during penalty shootouts,” said Arcom deputy managing director Pauline Combredet-Blassel, quoted in FranceInfo.
Those who have screens turned off do not risk further penalties directly from Arcom themselves, but may be fined if the matter is taken to court by broadcasters or sports organisations.
A recent crackdown in northern France saw nineteen people fined for watching illegal streams of France’s men’s professional football competition Ligue 1, alongside two people supplying the illegal content.
A recent survey by Arcom suggests that 18% of people in France watch TV illegally, with 12% of people who watch football doing so via illegal streams.
Block viewers ‘at the source’
The new method allows regulators to block access to viewing illegal streams through IP addresses (personal ‘addresses’ for devices connected to the internet).
Prior to this, regulators targeted websites themselves, but this was ineffective as the website would simply use a new domain to stream content once more.
“When you block DNS, you prevent access to a website. When you block IP addresses, you block access to the source server. This is obviously much more effective because it avoids many workarounds,” Ms Combredet-Blassel said.
Such IP-blockers are already common in the UK and Spain.
“In Spain, they block 10,000 pirate addresses on a single matchday, the equivalent of what we block in a year in France,” said legal director of BeInSports France Sarah D'Arifat to FranceInfo.
BeIn Sports is the exclusive provider of 50 pay-to-view matches of the 2026 World Cup, with 54 others available on free-to-air TV.
The major issue, broadcasters say, is the use of IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) devices, which allow people to stream content to their devices.
They are not illegal by themselves and can be used legitimately for watching TV channels a person has access to, but can also be used to bypass paywalls for paid-for video on demand services such as Netflix, Canal+, Apple TV, etc.
They can also be used for streaming international channels, allowing viewers to watch content that is restricted behind paywalls in their country – often including live sports.
“Today, someone who subscribes to an illegal IPTV service will pay a ridiculously low annual fee to access all the content, not just BeIN Sports… It is a problem for all audiovisual service providers who acquire rights, produce content, contribute to the financing of creation, and employ people in France,” said Ms D'Arifat.
Arcom estimates that illegal streaming costs professional sports organisations in France up to €290 million per year. Alongside major teams are several smaller – sometimes amateur – clubs and organisations who rely on TV revenues to keep afloat.
Check you are not using IPTV illegally
A cross-party bill on professional sports management includes provisions for IP addresses accessing illegal content to be more easily blocked in France.
It is backed by Arcom as well as broadcasters including BeIN.
Passed by the Senate in May 2025, it has seen several delays in being introduced to the Assemblée nationale, but MPs are currently set to debate it on June 29.
However, Ligue 1 will begin targeting IP addresses from August when the new season begins and has criticised the proposed bill for a “lack of concrete measures,” to tackle IPTV use.
If you are concerned that you are accidentally using an illegal IPTV service, here are some signs to look out for:
Several pop-up advertisements on the screen, including invasive adverts during shows or games
An ‘extremely large’ catalogue of channels for a small fee
Insecure payment methods
Non-French logos being displayed on the stream
More tips are available through the Arcom website.
