Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo’s recent comments about the state of Italian football are both alarming and familiar.
Piracy, particularly IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), continues to plague the league, and De Siervo insists that coercive action is the only way to solve the problem.
His latest statement paints a bleak picture: “Football is being killed… It’s either them or us.”
The issue has been at the forefront of Italian football for years, and Serie A’s financial struggles show no signs of letting up.
Yet, for all the dramatic claims and efforts to combat piracy, it remains unclear whether the league’s approach will deliver results.
The Ongoing Battle Against Pirates
Serie A, like many other sports leagues, faces significant financial challenges due to IPTV piracy.
Illegal streaming services allow users to watch live matches for a fraction of the cost of legitimate platforms, and Serie A sees this as a direct threat to its survival.
De Siervo’s comments echo the ongoing frustration with piracy. His analogy of a “Cops and Robbers” chase is fitting: every time authorities shut down one pirate server, another takes its place.
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Despite implementing the Piracy Shield system earlier this year, which was designed to block access to illegal streams, the results have been less than encouraging.
According to De Siervo, thousands of IP addresses and domain names have been blocked, but the effect has been minimal. Pirates continue to adapt, and the system’s limitations are becoming increasingly clear.
Piracy vs. High Prices
One of the key frustrations for Serie A is the loss of revenue from piracy.
De Siervo estimates that the league loses around €300 million annually due to illegal streaming—about 30% of the value of TV rights.
This lost revenue is a critical problem for a league already grappling with significant debt and financial instability.
However, it’s not just hardcore pirates taking advantage of illegal IPTV services. The cost of legitimate streaming services is also driving some fans to turn to piracy.
In the UK, for example, Serie A fans are unable to purchase season passes for the league through the OneFootball platform.
Instead, they are being asked to pay £5 per match. Compare that to pirate services, which offer access to every game for just £3 per month, and it’s easy to see why some fans are opting for the illegal option.
Legal Action on the Horizon
De Siervo’s stance is clear: the only way to combat piracy is through legal action. He believes that targeting end-users, the fans who stream matches illegally, is the next step.
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“Now we have to trace the end user and sanction him,” De Siervo said, adding that true fans wouldn’t pirate matches because it harms their favorite clubs.
This approach is risky, as treating all pirates the same could alienate casual users who would otherwise be willing to pay for legal services.
Still, Serie A appears determined to follow through on its threat to sue fans who engage in illegal streaming.
The Real Solution?
For Serie A, the battle against piracy isn’t just about lost revenue—it’s about the future of the league itself.
“We have the football we deserve, and this parasitic system that doesn’t pay to watch matches must be blown up,” De Siervo declared.
But here’s the irony: while Serie A claims that piracy is killing football, the league itself has been slow to adapt to changing consumer habits.
Fans want affordable, convenient access to matches, and when legitimate options are too expensive or difficult to access, piracy becomes an attractive alternative.
Final Thoughts
Serie A’s war against IPTV piracy shows no signs of slowing down. The league’s leadership seems convinced that legal action and aggressive blocking of pirate streams will eventually solve the problem.
But the reality is more complex. Fans are being priced out of legal services, and without significant changes to how football is delivered to viewers, the allure of piracy will remain strong.
For more information on this story, refer to the interview from II Mattino and the report from TorrentFreak.
We want to know your thoughts on this story. What do you think about the ongoing war between pirate IPTV and Italian soccer? Let us know in the comment section below!
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