Despite blocking thousands of illegal streaming sites, Italy’s anti-piracy initiative, ‘Piracy Shield,’ has not led to increased viewership for legal platforms like DAZN. This finding, based on data from telecoms regulator AGCOM, has intensified debates among stakeholders and copyright representatives.
One Year of ‘Piracy Shield’
Since its official implementation nearly a year ago, ‘Piracy Shield’ has aimed to curb live sports streaming piracy. Since last February, thousands of IP addresses and domain names linked to unauthorized broadcasts have been blocked.
Authorities and rightsholders have lauded this large-scale blocking effort as a major success. However, repeated overblocking incidents have sparked criticism, though they have been dismissed as inevitable growing pains.
Calls for Expansion
Far from being scaled back, ‘Piracy Shield’ is being considered for expansion. Some advocate extending its reach beyond live football matches to include other types of content, such as movie premieres and live TV.
Stakeholders are also exploring ways to strengthen the program through legal measures and collaborative discussions. VPNs, DNS services, and platforms like Cloudflare have recently been drawn into the debate, with proponents arguing that broader blockades lead to better results.
AGCOM, responsible for overseeing the blocking regime, has engaged with various industry players. Earlier this week, AGCOM held discussions with Brian Turnbow of CDLAN, a cloud and hosting solutions provider. While the details of the conversation remain undisclosed, Turnbow subsequently examined Piracy Shield’s impact, leading to some notable findings.
Effectiveness vs. Real Impact
To evaluate the program’s success, one must first define what an “effective” anti-piracy initiative should achieve. According to AGCOM and its supporters, ‘Piracy Shield’ is effective simply because it blocks pirate sites, thereby reducing traffic to these sources. However, the reality is more complex.
While blocked services may see traffic decline, users often migrate to unblocked alternatives. Even if overall piracy has decreased, there is no clear evidence that this has translated into more subscribers for legal streaming services.
Turnbow, following his discussion with AGCOM, reviewed the regulator’s latest quarterly report. His analysis suggests that the widely celebrated blocking campaign has had little impact on the success of legal platforms.
No Gains for DAZN
Turnbow’s investigation was straightforward—rather than focusing on enforcement, he examined whether ‘Piracy Shield’ had benefited legal streaming platforms, particularly DAZN, which holds the rights to Serie A football matches and is a key player in the initiative.
His findings showed no increase in DAZN subscribers for 2024 compared to the previous year. The number of hours watched remained flat as well.
“The number of users post-Piracy Shield in 2024 is the same as in 2023… no gains. The number of hours watched in 2024 is the same as in 2023, again no gain. 2024 overall is below 2022 when there was no Piracy Shield,” Turnbow noted.
The only significant change he observed was a rise in DAZN’s subscription price, which increased from €40.99 to €44.99—something not addressed in AGCOM’s report.
“So after 12 months, the data says ISPs sustained costs to implement the service, no users or hours gained for DAZN, and higher prices for end users,” Turnbow wrote in a LinkedIn post.
A Need for Nuanced Discussion
Turnbow does not claim to have uncovered definitive conclusions, and opponents could argue that without anti-piracy measures, DAZN subscriber numbers might have declined significantly. However, his findings highlight a growing skepticism among online intermediaries, who are critically assessing the long-term effects of broad blocking programs.
The past year has demonstrated that a lack of nuance, transparency, and willingness to incorporate feedback can be counterproductive. Extreme stances on either side of the debate often hinder meaningful progress.
The fact that this discussion was initiated by a major representative of a copyright holder group underscores the complexity of the situation. Even longtime anti-piracy advocates remain divided, raising concerns that ‘Piracy Shield’ may be more of a symbolic victory than an effective deterrent.
