How Crypto Is Redefining the Business Model Behind Sports Piracy
The article explains how cryptocurrency is reshaping the business model behind sports piracy by becoming a key financial engine for illicit sports streaming services. According to Irdeto intelligence, the share of illegal sports services accepting crypto payments grew from around 13 % in 2022 to 20 % in 2025, showing that digital assets are now embedded in piracy’s revenue streams. Cryptocurrencies’ speed, global reach and relative anonymity make it easier for pirate operators to collect payments and weaken traditional enforcement tools, turning piracy into a professional subscription-style business with tiered packages and customer support. The piece argues that focusing only on takedowns treats symptoms, not the root cause — the flow of money — and that combating piracy effectively requires industry-wide collaboration across rights holders, exchanges, law enforcement and blockchain analysis to trace and disrupt illicit funding channels. Improved crypto compliance and cross-border regulatory cooperation are essential to weaken piracy’s financial infrastructure.
