Millions of Europeans illegally watch sports events and buy counterfeit sports equipment, costing manufacturers €850 million

This year, Europe is the epicenter of all sporting action. The world is watching Euro 2024, the Tour de France, and the Paris Olympics.

But according to a study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office on the perception, awareness and behavior of EU citizens, about 12% of EU citizens have accessed or streamed sports matches through illegal channels. Among young people aged 15-24, about 27% admitted to using illegal online channels to watch sports matches.

A survey study published by the German Intellectual Property Office shows that a large number of illegal streaming and counterfeit sports goods are undermining industry rules. For example, 9% of Germans have watched sports content from illegal sources such as streaming, and this proportion is as high as 21% in the 15-24 age group; throughout the European Union, sporting goods manufacturers lose approximately 850 million euros each year from illegal counterfeit sports goods, accounting for 11% of the industry's turnover, and 11% of German young people aged 15 to 24 deliberately purchase counterfeit sports goods online.

In 2024, police across Europe seized and confiscated 8 million counterfeit luxury goods and sports equipment worth about 120 million euros. Bulgaria is the country in the EU where this behavior is most common, with 21% of respondents admitting to using illegal resources to watch sports events, followed by Greece at 20%, Ireland at 19%, Spain at 19%, and Luxembourg at 18%. Among young people aged 15-24, the proportion in Bulgaria is as high as 47%.