Piracy/Sweden: investigation to combat IPTV backed by Warner Bros. Discovery & Svensk Elitfotboll

"We want as many people as possible to watch Swedish elite football, and it is obviously a problem when some choose to watch matches on illegal sites instead of through our rights holder, Warner Bros. Discovery. Matches distributed on various pirate sites are a big problem for us and something we actively work to prevent. The fact that the issue is now being addressed at the government level in Sweden and that an investigation has been launched is a step in the right direction to tackle the problem," said Jessica Linnman, commercial director of SEF (Svensk Elitfotboll, Swedish Professional Football League), 06/02/2025.

At the beginning of 2024, the Swedish government appointed a committee of enquiry to "re-examine the national film policy". Since January 2025, this committee has been tasked with "investigating ways of combating illegal IPTV", particularly with regard to sports programmes.

"Each year, Swedes collectively spend SEK1.25bn (€110m) on illegal IPTV. Usage has doubled in the past three years. According to Mediavision, 580,000 Swedish households purchase illegal IPTV…