– I think the price is unreasonable. Those with completely normal wages cannot pay, so they find other alternatives, says Manchester United supporter Daniel Rud. After Viaplay increased the price to watch matches from the Premier League, there is a high temperature in football circles and in the comments section on social media. Many are threatening to cancel their subscriptions and switch to illegal streaming services, such as IPTV. One of those who have canceled their subscription is Arsenal supporter Morten (42), from Arendal. He believes the channel can blame itself. – The new price means that there will be a flurry of redundancies against them, he believes. He himself sees IPTV as a possible solution, and is aware of the risk of illegal streaming. – Most people do not want to break the law, so it says something when many thousands take this step. Daniel Rud has read up on who profits from illegal IPTV services. It can end up with criminals. He still understands that people allow themselves to be tempted. – Had I been in a worse financial situation, I might have done it myself. Bo Lundgren has used illegal streaming sites before. But that was when he could not finance the subscription himself. – For me, football is worth the money. But I share with those I live with. I understand that NOK 750 is expensive if you pay alone. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby Growing problem In January, Viaplay’s sports package increased by NOK 100, and now costs NOK 749 a month. Viaplay also has the rights to the Premier League in several European countries. In Denmark it costs 449 Danish kroner. In Sweden, you get the package for SEK 549. And in the Netherlands it costs a little more than a Norwegian hundred. On IPTV you can watch the same matches at a fraction of the Norwegian price. – From the moment you pay, you have zero control over what you have helped finance, says Stian Løland, head of Nordic Content Protection (NCP). They collaborate with several streaming services in Norway. Viaplay, TV 2, Discovery and a number of other distributors, among others. NCP works, among other things, to combat illegal streaming. – The trend in Europe shows that this is a growing problem, says Løland. There are no figures on how large the scale is in Norway. Football fans believe the Premier League has become too expensive and are resorting to illegal streaming services. Photo: Screenshot / Facebook Don’t know where the money ends up Illegal streaming is increasing in Europe, a report shows. It states that 17 million Europeans use illegal IPTV services. This means, among other things, two things: The rights holders lose billions overall The money ends up in the pockets of multi-criminal networks – A red flag should go up when you see that you can get content that normally costs over NOK 700 a month much cheaper, says Løland. Part of the challenge is that these streaming sites look very professional. – Both European and American investigations and investigations show that the money goes to money laundering, drug networks, human trafficking and even terrorist activities, says Løland. news has repeatedly tried to get an interview with Viaplay Norge. But they refer to AAPA and NCP, both of which work to combat illegal streaming. About the price increase, they write the following in an email: – These are questions we have repeatedly answered in various media, and people must remember that we lowered the price when we took over the rights in the autumn, so the real price increase is NOK 50 from the previous licensee at a time when all costs, including for us, are becoming more expensive, says Fredrik Olimb, PR and communications manager at Viaplay. Do you think streaming services have become too expensive? – The pain limit has been reached In social media, many people openly write that they have chosen IPTV over legal streaming. – Many people can no longer afford it, says Tore Hansen. He is the general manager of Liverpool’s supporters’ club in Norway. The club has 50,000 members. – People are simply pissed off. This goes straight to the heart of everything to do with supporter life. But for many, the pain limit on price has been reached, he believes. – The Premier League has become a premium product that people have to pay for if they can afford it. General manager of the Liverpool FC supporters’ club Tore Hansen says increased prices and IPTV are a hot topic in the community. Photo: Geir Ingar Egeland / news Can be pushed into the illegal Thomas Iversen is a lawyer at the Consumer Council. They have previously seen that when the price becomes too high, people will be tempted into illegal solutions. He says it is difficult to set a limit on the maximum price for streaming services. – But there is a limit. For many, it has probably been reached. At least with regard to football subscriptions. The Consumer Council feels that this is a topic that concerns many people. Thomas Iversen of the Consumer Council says that using illegal services is a high-risk project in terms of hacking, viruses and involuntary support for criminals. Photo: Halvor Pritzlaff Njerve / Forbru Not prioritized Løland in the NCP says that they are not after the viewers, but those who sell the services. Nevertheless, you can be fined if you are caught for illegal streaming. – I think many people who choose to use this think they are in a legal gray area, and that they cannot be caught or held financially responsible. NCP delivers almost fully investigated cases and reports to the police. But Løland feels that this is no longer a priority there. – We are aware that illegal streaming takes place. The police take illegal activities like this seriously. It has a competitive and harmful effect on legal business, says head of Økokrim Pål Lønseth. Last year, a man was sentenced to 45 days in prison for making decrypted digital cards available. In addition, his company had to pay NOK 500,000 in compensation. Hi! Do you have thoughts about the case you have read, or tips for something we should look into more closely? Please contact!
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Illegal streaming of football finances criminal networks – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
