Ahead of the Game: Illegal Usyk vs Fury streams dealt heavy blow

Illegal streaming services appear to be in retreat judging by the collapse of viewing figures for last weekend’s Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury rematch compared to the original world heavyweight title fight between the pair in May.

Analysis conducted for City AM by online intelligence platform Yield Sec identified a peak audience of 3.2m illegal stream views globally during the fight, just 16 per cent of the 20m illegal views when Usyk and Fury first locked horns in Riyadh.

The decline in illegal streaming follows increased enforcement action by the authorities led by trade bodies such as the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). Yield Sec’s analysis shows that over 75 per cent of previously established illegal streaming locations have been compromised or shut down, forcing illegal operators to use newer, less reliable locations.

For fight fans determined to watch the fight illegally rather than subscribed to pay-per-view services such as Dazn and Sky Box Office, accessing streams of Usyk vs Fury was more difficult. Users had to close an average of 16 pop-up ads just to start viewing, while malware, spyware and other identity theft tools affected an estimated 98.6 per cent of illegal views.

“This data shows the tide turning in the fight against illegal streaming,” Ismail Vali, chief executive of Yield Sec,” told City AM. “Audiences are seeing the dangers of illegal platforms, while enforcement continues to protect rights holders’ content and revenue streams. The fight isn’t over, but progress is undeniable.”

Nowhere near the end zone

The NFL have paid out another $200m in compensation to former players suffering from brain injuries and related conditions this year.

The total pay-out from the NFL Concussion Settlement Program has reached $1.4bn this month, a significant increase on the $1.2bn figure reported at the start of the year. In addition the NFL have also agreed to pay a further $38m to ex-players in non-monetary awards.

The NFL’s Concussion Settlement Program is run by settlement administrators appointed by the Supreme Court after the NFL agreed to settle a class action from former players. The payment details show the huge number and wide range of payments made since the NFL reached a landmark deal with over 4,500 former players who sued the league on the grounds they were misled over the long-term dangers of head injuries in 2013.

The initial settlement was worth $765m, but the total paid out has almost doubled over the last decade.

The most recent monthly update shows that 1,762 ex-players have received financial settlements, with a further 47 claims in the process of being assessed or awaiting payment. A total of 80 of the compensation settlements were agreed post-mortem following confirmation of death by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disorder caused by repeated head injuries.

The highest number of pay-outs related to unspecified neurological impairments, with 959 former players receiving a total of $655,000 from the NFL following a brain injury diagnosis. In addition 422 players were paid out after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease as a result of their NFL careers and 254 following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, leading to compensation payments of $486,000.

US private equity to maul rugby?

The proponents of the breakaway global rugby league have turned to private equity in an attempt to fund plans for a Formula One-style travelling tournament circuit based on eight new franchises, but will little success.

The two biggest private equity investors in rugby union to date, CVC Capital Partners and Silver Lake, have distanced themselves from the proposed new competition due to their strong links with the rugby establishment, particularly the Six Nations and the New Zealand All Blacks respectively. 

CVC are by far the largest private equity investor in rugby, having paid £200m for a stake in Premiership Rugby, a further £140m for part of the United Rugby Championship and £365m for a slice of the Six Nations. American firm Silver Lake have invested £98m for a 10 per cent share of New Zealand Rugby’s commercial rights, in a deal which values NZR CommercialCo at £1.6bn.

The major unions are implacably opposed to the new rebel league as it would lead to more conflict over player schedules in an already congested calendar, with both CVC and Silver Lake eager to avoid upsetting their partners. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund have also shown no interest in getting involved to date, leading the organisers to target other American private equity firms. 

Set for a roaring summer

ITV have gambled on England’s Lionesses having a good run at next summer’s European Championship despite being handed a difficult group featuring France, Holland and Wales.

The tournament’s UK broadcast rights are being shared by the BBC and ITV for the first time – the BBC had exclusive rights when England won the Euros in 2022 – with the commercial operation winning the coin toss to get the first pick of fixtures following last week’s draw in Lausanne.

With both broadcasters getting the final ITV chose to have first pick of the semi-finals, leaving the BBC with three of the four quarter-finals. ITV also get two of England’s group games against France and Wales so can look forward to a summer of bumper audiences if Sarina Wiegman’s side reach the last four.