- LaLiga uses artificial intelligence and dynamic IP blocking to combat piracy, with collateral effects on more than 554.000 domains.
- The ruling that protects these blockades expires in 2027 and a legal reform has not yet been approved.
- British police dismantle an IPTV network with 80 servers and sentence its leader to more than six years in prison.
- The Civil Guard warns of scams involving IPTV applications that steal bank details.
The 2026/2027 season has kicked off, and with it, yet another battle against IPTV services that pirate football . LaLiga has deployed its usual arsenal and then some : it now employs artificial intelligence agents and IP blocking, which, according to reports, are cutting off access to half a million legitimate domains. The controversy is brewing.
While in Spain the clash between employers and operators is moving to the courts and the Data Protection Agency, in the United Kingdom the police have just concluded an exemplary operation against a pirate network operating with 80 servers. The fight against television piracy has ceased to be a simple legal matter and has become a technological battleground, with collateral effects that even impact NGOs.
Dynamic blockages and collateral damage
The mechanism used by LaLiga is not new, but it becomes more aggressive each season. A ruling by the Commercial Court number 6 of Barcelona , issued in December 2024, authorizes the dynamic blocking of IP addresses during matches, without requiring a new court order for each address. However, this authorization expires in June 2027, and in the meantime, operators such as Movistar, Vodafone, Digi, and MásOrange must implement the blocking in real time.
The problem is that these IP addresses don't always host only the pirate server. Platforms like Cloudflare share the same IP address for thousands of legitimate services , from online stores to NGOs. The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) report estimates that in 2026 more than 554.000 legitimate domains were affected at some point, with cases like WikiDex, the Pokémon encyclopedia, or even payment gateways like Redsys that experienced outages during football matches.
The situation has led associations like EuroISPA to take a stand with the European Commission, as the Spanish Congress of Deputies has taken a first step with a non-binding resolution to reform the Digital Services Act. The proposal, agreed upon by the ERC and PSOE parties, demands proportionality and judicial oversight , but it is not yet law. Meanwhile, blocking continues to take down websites unrelated to piracy.
AI comes into play
To make its attacks more targeted, LaLiga has begun using a platform called DRE (Digital Rights Enforcement), developed by the Portuguese company Randy Labs. DRE employs artificial intelligence agents that monitor illegal broadcasts and not only locate the infringing website, but also identify the infrastructure supporting it, contact intermediaries, and send notifications to block the signal. In case of a response, the AI itself can refute the recipient's arguments.
According to Randy Labs, this system can do the work of around 200 people, with human supervision during matches. Furthermore, if notifications fail, there's an option called Airon that implements blocks designed to avoid harming legitimate services. LaLiga argues that this is a more precise solution than mass blocking , but reports show there's still plenty of room for improvement.
The UK case: a historic network dismantled
Meanwhile, in the UK, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has shut down one of the country's longest-running IPTV networks. The man responsible, 68-year-old Milan Ibrahim, has been sentenced to more than six years in prison . The organization operated 80 servers in Chorley and generated over €1,5 million in three years.
The service offered channels such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, and the Premier League, as well as movies and series from streaming platforms. Police seized the servers and are now attempting to confiscate the profits under the Asset Recovery Act. The Premier League has described the network as one of the largest pirate providers in Europe . Furthermore, the stored data could be used to identify end users, who would face fines.
The dark side for the user
It's not just the operators who are in the crosshairs. The Civil Guard in Spain has warned of an increase in scams involving IPTV apps downloaded from unofficial stores. These apps often conceal malware that steals banking credentials and personal data. Users grant excessive permissions, such as access to SMS messages or the keyboard, and cybercriminals take advantage of this to intercept verification codes and empty accounts.
The recommendations are clear: use only official stores, review permissions, and keep your device updated. The combination of malware and collateral blocks makes piracy a risk to both your wallet and your privacy . Although viewing pirated content isn't always illegal in Spain, the methods used to do so are increasingly monitored and criminalized.
With the ruling waning and legal reform up in the air, the future of IPTV piracy will depend on striking a balance between protecting league rights and not sacrificing innocent users and websites. Meanwhile, technology advances, but the collateral damage remains , a reminder that in this war, not everything is fair game.
