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Sports piracy is on the rise, and pay-per-view events in particular are heavily attended via illegal channels. Turki Alalshikh, an advisor to the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia, suggested this week that PPV prices be slashed to curb piracy. American boxer Chris Algieri has an even more drastic idea: “Make it free,” he says. UFC CEO Dana White, meanwhile, sees more merit in prosecuting pirates.

Rights holders of major sporting events have repeatedly complained in recent years that piracy of live sports broadcasts is spiralling out of control.

They have called on lawmakers to tighten legislation and urged police to take the problem much more seriously.

Last month, US authorities took action by seizing several domain names belonging to sports streaming site Streameast, which has millions of monthly users. The seizures were carried out by the book, but they did not have the desired effect, as Streameast remains available via alternative domains.

According to the site’s administrators, it won’t stop until sports streaming becomes more affordable to the public. The sweet spot is unknown, but there is open talk of plans to lower the price.

Affordable sports streaming

A few weeks ago, sports streaming services in Greece significantly lowered their bundle prices in an effort to combat piracy. The decision resulted in many satisfied consumers who now feel they are getting value for their money.

Similar initiatives have begun to emerge elsewhere. For example, Turki Alalshikh, a member of the Saudi royal court and the driving force behind many major boxing events held in Saudi Arabia, called this week for lower PPV prices.

Speaking to TalkSport, His Excellency stated that high prices drive people to pirate websites and services, which is ultimately bad for the sport.

“I dream of a PPV with a good price to make the fans happy and subscribe and watch it legally. Usually when I see a high PPV, a lot of people go and watch the fight illegally and that is not healthy for boxing and the platform,” Alalshikh said.

The solution is simple. Alalshikh will attempt to make the main fight events in Saudi Arabia during the Riyadh season available for £20 in the UK and less than $20 worldwide.

“If I give the fans good fights for a good price, the fan base will grow,” Alalshikh explained.

Make it free!

While these drastic price cuts would be a big step, some want to go even further. Like American boxer Chris Algieri, who has a suggestion that will appeal to even the most hardcore pirates.

The boxer and former kickboxer appeared on Probox TV, where he discussed a price-cutting plan proposed by Alalshikh. According to Algieri, $20 may still be a hurdle for many people, so it makes more sense to go all the way and offer free access to PPV events.

“I don’t know if it’s a way to fight piracy, because $20 is still $20. If you’re going to steal it, free is better than $20,” Algieri said. “Just make it free,” he added.

In theory, $20 per viewer could generate more revenue per event than $40, if total viewership more than doubles. However, offering free access to streams isn’t exactly a sustainable business model.

Algieri is aware of this and is not proposing to make fights free forever. Instead, he sees it as a temporary measure to build up the sports fan base. After that, events can start again.

For now, free PPV events are probably a step too far for organizers. Algieri believes the proposed price cuts would be a good start, and he’s curious to see if they would disproportionately increase viewership.

“I think it’s a good idea that fight fans can watch their favorite fighters for a price that’s not exorbitant. That doesn’t stop them from watching their favorite fighters,” Algieri said.

Dana White and ‘Streameast’ Enter the Octagon

While price cuts are music to the ears of boxing fans, not everyone agrees. UFC CEO Dana White, for example, told reporters Tuesday that he sees more benefit in taking an offensive approach, by taking pirates to court.

“I won’t tell you what we do at every event, but we do crack down on piracy and you saw a couple of years ago we started prosecuting people,” White said. “That’s how you fight piracy. Start prosecuting people for fucking theft.”

White’s aggressive tone towards pirates is not new; similar threats have been made in the past.

Joshua vs Dubois will be available for £19.95 in the UK, with pricing elsewhere yet to be officially confirmed. As far as we are aware, however, the UFC has not taken any action against people consuming pirated streams.

That said, White’s combative words may be enough for some to avoid trying the “pirate” alternatives, including the aforementioned streaming platform Streameast. For some, Dana’s stance on piracy is a form of entertainment in itself.

A comment from ACD MMA on X about the rivalry prompted a response from the Streameast News Network, which is separate from the Streameast site.

“He’s desperate. He’s making up lies and praying it stops a few hundred people from clicking the link,” the unofficial Streameast account responded.

Some news sites confused this response with a message from the actual Streameast service, which further complicates matters. Streameast has yet to officially respond to White’s comments, or the price cuts, as far as we know. That said, they could certainly get behind Algieri’s suggestion to make PPV streams free.