Canal+ Granted Authority to Block Illegal IPTV Streams in France
A French court has granted Canal+ blocking orders against illegal IPTV services and pirate streams, affecting internet providers, search engines, and VPN services. These measures aim to combat online piracy of live sports broadcasts.
Key takeaways
- Canal+ has been granted court orders to block illegal IPTV and pirate streams in France.
- The court's decision affects internet providers, search engines, and VPN services.
- Measures include blocking domains and removing sites from search results.
- These actions are part of efforts to combat online piracy of live sports broadcasts.
What Happened
Canal+ has received court authorization to block illegal IPTV services and pirate streams in France. A French court issued fourteen blocking orders on July 17, 2026, allowing the company to pursue action against illegal content distribution across various internet service providers, search engines, and even VPN services.
These orders, signed by Vice President Irène Benac, target numerous IPTV portals and streaming sites, including Totalsportek, LiveTV, and Kevinsport. Internet providers such as Orange, SFR, Free, and Bouygues Telecom are mandated to block access to these sites. Additionally, DNS services from Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, and DNS4EU, as well as search engine results from Google and Bing, must be cleared of the illegal content.
VPN services like Proton VPN, CyberGhost, and ExpressVPN were also ordered to block access, with their defense based on a European Court ruling being rejected by the court. The court deemed neutral intermediaries as essential links in the chain of illegal stream transmission.
Background
The blocking orders are valid until May and June 2027 and can be extended. This development follows the French parliament's adoption of a sports law that enables real-time blocking of illegal streams during live broadcasts, modeled after an Italian system. This law is set to be implemented later in 2026.
Online piracy, particularly of live sports events, has become a professional and economically strong market. Illegal IPTV services often mimic legal platforms with subscriptions and comprehensive packages, making them difficult for consumers to distinguish. In 2019, an estimated 13.7 million users in the EU accessed illegal IPTV services, generating nearly one billion euros annually. A significant portion of illegal content removed is often re-uploaded the same day, highlighting the challenge of combating piracy.
Illegal streaming not only infringes intellectual property rights but also poses risks to users, including potential exposure to malware through deceptive pop-ups and advertisements. The profits from these illegal operations can also fund organized crime activities such as drug trafficking and crypto fraud.
Key Facts
- A French court granted Canal+ fourteen blocking orders on July 17, 2026.
- These orders target illegal IPTV services and pirate streams related to the Premier League (47 domains) and Champions League (26 domains).
- Internet providers, DNS services, search engines (Google, Bing), and VPN services are compelled to block access to illegal content.
- The blocking orders are effective until late May and early June 2027.
- France's new sports law will enable real-time blocking of illegal streams during live broadcasts.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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