ACE and DAZN force closure of Spanish piracy operation Photocall

Following an investigation conducted by ACE and DAZN, the operator of Photocall was identified and traced to Spain.

ACE, a programme led by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), approached the operator and reached a settlement, resulting in the closure of the service, among other terms.  

Photocall had more than 26 million visits in the past year. It provided unauthorised access to 1,127 TV channels from 60 countries, including channels broadcasting live sports content. 

Nearly 30% of the site traffic originated from Spain, with over 13% from Mexico, followed by Germany, Italy, and the US at 6% each. 

“Content theft harms the entire sports ecosystem,” said Oscar Vilda, CEO of DAZN Iberia. “This illegal service did not offer DAZN channels, but it did redistribute the content of some of our partners – especially MotoGP and Formula 1, as well as Serie A, the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and club channels like Real Madrid TV, Barça TV, and Betis TV.

“Following the coordinated work of DAZN’s anti-piracy team and ACE, we have safeguarded the value of those rights and ensured that fans can continue to enjoy live sports coverage with the highest quality, at an accessible price, and without facing the risks of malware or fraud.” 

“Deterrence works, and we will continue pursuing illicit operations that transmit live content illegally,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Content Protection Officer at the MPA. “Our actions are targeted, proportionate, and designed to protect rights-holders and audiences while maintaining the integrity of live sports and access to legitimate services.”  

In coordination with sports streamer DAZN, anti-piracy coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has shut down illicit live sports streaming website Calcio. Discover more here.