Millions of fight fans watched on as Oleksandr Usyk became the first unified heavyweight boxing world champion in more than two decades when he defeated UK superstar Tyson Fury.
Unfortunately, most of the people watching didn’t actually pay for it.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, 20 million fans tuned into the ‘Ring of Fire’ headliner using an illegal string, costing Sky Sports, TNT Sport, and DAZN more than $100 million in lost revenue.
“Sports piracy is theft,” a DAZN spokesman told Mail Sport. “DAZN invests a significant amount in combatting it, using technology to monitor the activity of users, and educating fans about the risks. It may seem a victimless crime, but most illegal feeds are provided by criminal networks or carry the risk of phishing and identity theft. Our advice is don’t risk the sport you care about, or your own data, by using illegal feeds.”
According to the breakdown, 45 percent of the illegal streaming took place in Europe (18% in the UK alone) with another 25 percent in North America and 16 percent in Asia.
No Filter: Fury v Usyk 👑
TNT Sports' No Filter cameras take you behind-the-scenes of the EPIC Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk Undisputed Heavyweight Showdown 🏆#FuryUsyk #RingOfFire pic.twitter.com/utQRREXv07
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) May 23, 2024
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk Was One of the Most Illegally Streamed Events of All Time
Promoters attempted to pre-emptively stop people from illegally streaming the fight via a statement from Callum Baird — a former cybercrime expert for Police Scotland.
“Free streamers are not providing the service out of charity, but for their own gain… Streaming platforms may ask for your personal data to register, possibly even requiring a fee to access the platform or service. Inputting your personal details, even without payment details, leaves you open to the risk of financial or identity fraud.”
Purchasing the event through DAZN would have cost consumers $69.99 on top of a $19.99 monthly subscription fee, forcing fans to put out $90 to watch the event live via a legitimate service provider.
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are expected to run back their critically acclaimed clash this October, though no official announcements have been made.
Check out highlights from their epic encounter below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-gpziCDbqQ&t=23s
