DAZN Strikes Back: Court Backs Aggressive Crackdown On Illegal Streaming — Is This The Endgame For Boxing Streams?
DAZN has achieved a significant legal victory in Belgium, securing a court order mandating Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and public DNS operators to block over 130 illegal sports streaming domains and five IPTV platforms. Non-compliance could result in fines of €100,000 per day. Major platforms like Cloudflare, Google, and Cisco are also required to disable DNS access to these infringing sites.
This enforcement action is part of Belgium’s 2022 legal reforms that empower rightsholders to implement real-time, dynamic blocking of piracy sites. DAZN’s research indicates that one-third of Belgians aged 16–24 use illegal streams to watch sports, leading to an estimated annual loss of £180 million. DAZN’s Head of Global Rights, Tom Burrows, emphasized the severity of the issue, stating that piracy has reached a crisis point for the sports rights industry.
The court’s decision sets a precedent for other countries to adopt similar measures, signaling a robust stance against digital piracy in the sports broadcasting sector.
