Illegal betting apps now a threat to sports broadcasters and live streaming platforms

Illegal betting and gambling apps operating in India are now live streaming major sports events on their websites and apps. Some notorious betting apps, such as 1xbet, Reddy Anna, Khelo Yar, 96win, and Sat Sport, among others, allow users to watch live sports content while placing bets on their platforms. It's worth noting that multiple betting operators are offering the option to place bets on the ongoing Paris Olympics events.

Illegal betting and gambling apps divert viewers away from legitimate content platforms affecting their subscription models and advertising revenue. Recently, Disney Star India successfully dismantled a network of illegal streaming websites airing ICC T20 World Cup matches. The media conglomerate’s anti-piracy efforts led to the shutdown of platforms like magicwin.games and magicwin.com. The suspects were identified, and one of the accused was arrested in Ahmedabad. He was found receiving match feeds from a cable operator in Pakistan.

Explaining the notorious ways illegal betting apps pirate live sports content, Ritesh Bhatia, Founder of V4WEB Cybersecurity, a cybercrime investigations company, said, “Illegal streaming operations are increasingly sophisticated, employing a range of technical methods to steal content. A primary tactic is web scraping, using tools like Scrapy or Selenium to automatically extract live streams from legitimate platforms. Web pirates then embed these streams on their illicit platforms, effectively rebroadcasting copyrighted content without permission.

Bhatia further said, “Beyond scraping, these criminals also exploit vulnerabilities, intercept network data, and create botnets to distribute stolen content. Additionally, they set up their own streaming servers and leverage peer-to-peer networks to bypass traditional distribution channels.”

According to a 2024 report by Dataprot, India ranked third (9.5 billion) in terms of visits to pirate sites, The United States topped the list with 17.3 billion visits and Russia with 14.4 billion visits. The online piracy statistics show that over 50 percent of these recorded visits went to streaming sites.

Suggesting measures to curb content piracy, Bhatia said, “To combat this, broadcasters and streaming platforms must implement a multifaceted approach. This includes fortifying digital rights management systems, employing advanced anti-scraping technologies, and developing robust content identification and tracking mechanisms. Furthermore, fostering collaboration with technology companies to refine detection algorithms and improve content protection is essential.”

With the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, multiple illegal betting apps and websites are offering users the ability to place bets along with live streaming. In India, Viacom18 Sports has the broadcasting and streaming rights for the Paris Olympics 2024. Sports18 Network will broadcast the content on TV while JioCinema will stream live content for free.

Viacom18, owning exclusive media rights for IPL events, faced infringement issues from rogue websites broadcasting the IPL matches illegally. In March 2024, Delhi HC passed a landmark judgment concerning the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Delhi High Court underscored the critical need for ‘Dynamic+’ injunctions as a robust legal response to combat digital piracy.

The ruling came in the favor of Viacom 18 Media Private Limited ordering immediate blocking measures by ISPs, DoT, and MeitY. The Court had allowed Viacom18 to dynamically add and block new rogue websites found infringing during the IPL event.

When asked if Viacom18 Sports is tackling the issue of content pilferage, Siddharth Sharma, Content Head of Viacom18 Sports, said, “We are mindful and cognizant, and there is an active strategy at work where we have partners who are constantly tracking how to prevent this pilferage, and whenever it happens, there is immediate action that we take.”

Sharma further said, “We have to look after our own assets and protect our investments. But also to ensure that the fans have the best experience, which is why we offer everything free and nothing is behind a paywall. The access barrier is being removed, and the audience can enjoy sports content. We also ensure that we look after our international syndication partners, so we always have the best in the world as partners with us who constantly track and strike out these nodes which indulge in content pilferage.”

In 2022, the Delhi High Court directed the Department of Technology (DOT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to issue blocking orders against Pikashow, the rogue piracy app. Disney Star had earlier filed an FIR against TamilBlasters, Tamilrockers, and the PikaShow TV app for leaking television (TV), Over-The-Top (OTT), and film content on their platforms. According to the FIR filed, these platforms generated cumulative traffic of nearly 62 million. Moreover, PikaShow also streamed content from linear TV channels such as Star Plus, Star Gold, Star World, and Star Sports.

A senior industry leader from the broadcasting industry said, “Earlier, the media and entertainment industry was suffering huge losses because of pirated films. Now we are also witnessing increase in piracy of OTT content, TV shows, and sports content. Illegal betting apps are streaming live sports content on their websites and apps. Apps like PikaShow continue to offer live sports content.”

He further said, “These pirated content apps and websites are sponsored by betting apps such as 1xBet and others as they run their advertisements throughout their content. The industry needs a robust mechanism to tackle incidents of blatant piracy. The inability to stop such acts is a failure on the part of media houses and the government.”

Disney Star, Times Internet, and Cricbuzz are members of the International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP). IBCAP focuses on illegal websites and Set-Top Box (STB) services broadcasting members' sports media rights. IBCAP is responsible for an industry-leading deterrent effect on cricket piracy this past year.

Star Sports declined to comment on the issue of their content being pilfered via illegal betting and streaming websites and apps.

According to IBCAP, during IPL 2023, it disrupted nearly 9,000 streams over the course of the tournament, including more than 3.6 million views were disrupted on Facebook Live streams worldwide. During the Cricket World Cup tournament, the IBCAP lab removed more than 17,000 streams and disrupted more than 9.5 million views on Facebook Live streams worldwide.

The increasing menace of illegal betting apps streaming live sports in India not only affects broadcasters but also the entire sports industry as an ecosystem. It requires united efforts from multiple organizations globally to tackle content pilferage across multiple formats and genres.