KUALA LUMPUR – Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) is set to strengthen its firewall and take legal action against those illegally live-streaming its content.
The national broadcaster’s move comes in response to several incidents where various local and international websites have been unlawfully streaming Super League matches, which RTM airs as one of the official broadcasters alongside Astro for the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
RTM recently renewed its broadcasting rights deal with the MFL for the current season, securing the rights to live broadcast 52 Super League matches, eight FA Cup matches, and the Malaysia Cup final through its TV Okey and Sukan RTM channels.
Speaking to Scoop, RTM director-general Datuk Suhaimi Sulaiman revealed that the illegal streaming of Super League matches has cost the broadcaster millions in revenue annually.
“I will be chairing a meeting on this matter soon, and we will discuss how to mitigate the issue by enhancing our security systems. Illegal streaming is, of course, illegal, and we cannot normalise it.
“Displaying content that does not belong to you is wrong. RTM spends millions to secure broadcasting rights for sporting events, and we lose revenue if people steal our content.
“We can, and we will take legal action against those who steal RTM’s content in the coming days,” Suhaimi said when contacted.
Under Section 43AA of the 1987 Copyright Act, live-streaming matches on social media or other websites without permission is strictly prohibited.
Previously, Scoop reported that MFL CEO Giorgio Pompili Rossi strongly condemned the illegal streaming of Super League matches and expressed readiness to collaborate with the government to combat this issue.
Last season, Indonesian sports websites bolasport.com and bola.net reportedly garnered 583,910 views from illegally streaming Super League matches.
Similarly, Kelantan Darul Naim was fined RM5,000 by the MFL for illegally live-streaming their matches on their official Facebook page. The club was warned that harsher penalties would follow for repeated offences.
Illegal live streaming is not only affecting local leagues; major football leagues like the English Premier League and La Liga have also been struggling with this issue over the past five years.
International broadcasters, including Sky Sports, BT Sport, BeIN Sports, and NBC Sports, reportedly lose up to US$28.3 billion (RM121.4 billion) annually due to illegal streams from sites like TotalSportek, whose domain is based in Tonga and the British Indian Ocean Territory.
TotalSportek, founded in 2015, has been blocked in several countries, including Germany, the UK, France, Spain, and Malaysia.
In 2021, illegal English streamer Paul Faulkner was sentenced to 16 months in prison for offering unauthorized access to Premier League and La Liga matches. He was also ordered to pay £963,000 (RM5.5 million) in damages to Sky Sports. — October 11, 2024