Dorna has announced it is teaming up with the Spanish football’s LaLiga in an effort to eradicate misuse of its audio-visual content, such as streaming and unofficial apps.
The Spanish firm, which runs both MotoGP and WorldSBK, has struggled to monitor and contain the spread of streaming since it shifted to a predominantly pay-per-view model – including coverage shown in the UK – and pushed a lot of its own audio-visual content behind a pay wall on its own website.
As such, a number of streaming websites, social media accounts and apps have filled the void to provide audio and visual content for free, much to its chagrin.
To combat this, Dorna has entered into an agreement with La Liga to use LaLiga’s Technological Content Protection to stop such streams.
“As part of this partnership, LaLiga will use its own tools in order to monitor and eliminate illegal MotoGP and WorldSBK audio-visual content hosted on social networks, digital platforms and mobile apps,” read a statement.
“Fake profiles that make fraudulent use of the logotype and name of Dorna Sports will also be monitored and eliminated, as well as those pertaining to Dorna’s Championships.
“In addition, LaLiga's human, technical and legal resources will be used to monitor and de-index those pages that use illegal Dorna Sports content from search engines. The tools created by the LaLiga Content Technology Protection team also allow the tracking, pursuit and compilation of legal evidence in order to fight illegal transmissions via IPTV and Cardsharing.”
UK MotoGP coverage switched to BT Sport’s new subscription service in 2014, winning the rights from BBC’s free-to-air service but has consistently averaged only between 150,000 and 250,000 viewers per race.
Though the coverage is thorough, fans have begrudged paying what is now £25 a month (BT Sport monthly pass) or a £37.99 subscription that includes broadband, when measured against the multitude of other subscriptions now applied to television viewing, such as Netflix, Prime and Sky.
MotoGP itself offers an annual video pass priced at £169.54 or £21.19 a month.
