Twitch banned in Spain after football league attempts to stop online piracy

by

In Spain, numerous personal websites such as Twitch are being collectively blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) because the Spanish LaLiga football league has expressed concerns about copyright infringement.

Among the top live streaming platforms globally, Twitch stands out. Many personalities have built successful careers by sharing unique content here. However, some users exploit this platform to circumvent copyright rules, often streaming unauthorized television programs or films, enabling viewers to watch them without charge.

In February 2025, Spain’s top-tier football league, LaLiga, secured a court order to prevent unauthorized streaming sites from broadcasting their matches, as they perceived these sites as potentially breaking the law.

Yet, there’s a significant problem arising from this action. By executing the order, it inadvertently discarded valuable resources along with the unwanted ones, indiscriminately restricting a multitude of IP addresses all at once. Many of these addresses are utilized by ordinary individuals and private enterprises.

🔒 Liga de Fútbol (LaLiga) has extended its anti-piracy measures to social media networks.

🟣 Last weekend, Twitch viewers using Movistar and Digi services faced issues with broadcasts.

✖️ The union blocked some IP addresses used for hosting video servers.

— WOSTI FutbolenlaTV (@futbolenlatv) May 5, 2025

Spanish businesses lose tens of thousands of Euros amid IP bans

These locations encompass platforms such as Amazon, GitHub, Cloudflare, and Twitch – which implies that ordinary individuals might find it difficult to reach these websites, although they may have no ties or involvement whatsoever with digital piracy.

Due to the fact that numerous service providers utilize common IP addresses, Spain’s efforts to combat piracy are inadvertently causing significant damage to many companies that rely on these sites for their daily tasks. This unwanted impact is inflicting substantial financial losses upon these businesses.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Spanish law does not mandate disclosure of information about blocked IP addresses. Consequently, users are left clueless as to the reasons behind their sudden inability to access specific websites.

Since February 2025, according to Torrentfreak’s reports, this issue has been ongoing. In spite of protests from Spanish citizens and businesses, the government has continued to intensify the number and rate at which websites are being blocked.

On May 1st, 2025, I found myself among fellow enthusiasts, huddled together in a meeting with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), discussing the rampant piracy of online sports events. Post this discussion, it seemed like even more unlawful streaming sites were blocked, making it harder for us die-hard fans to catch our favorite games without proper authorization.

📺 LaLiga participates in the @EU_IPO conference focusing on countering fraud in live sports events broadcasts.

💬 “Success hinges on unified cross-border efforts, involving various sectors and digital platforms,” Andrea Di Carlo, Deputy Executive Director of EUIPO.

— LALIGA Corporativo (@LaLigaCorp) May 1, 2025

In the past, Twitch has encountered blocks in various nations, yet the grounds for such restrictions have varied significantly. For instance, in February 2024, Turkey imposed a temporary ban on Twitch and Kick due to worries about gambling activities.

In the very same month, Twitch ceased its activities in South Korea because the operational expenses proved excessively high.

Read More

2025-05-05 21:48