The two heavyweights’ massive fight in Saudi Arabia continues to make headlines.
Twenty million users illegally watched the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk “Ring of Fire” fight.
With a split decision victory over The Gypsy King in 1999, Ukrainian Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in history, following in the footsteps of Lennox Lewis.
Fury was repeatedly knocked back against the ropes by Usyk during the ninth round, and it seemed that the ropes were the reason the referee did not stop the fight.
It has been revealed in an exclusive Daily Mail revelation that 20 million people illegally streamed the historic duel.
The pay-per-view prices ranged from roughly £25 across DAZN, Sky Sports Box Office, and TNT Sports Box Office. This implies that the holders of the rights lost out on £95 million.
Online research firm Yield Sec performed an analysis for Mail Sport and found that there were 2,000 distinct streaming locations, with 18% of those users originating from the UK.
In Europe, illicit streaming accounted for 45% of all streams, in America for 25%, and in Asia for 16%.
According to the research, some websites charged as little as £1, and the illicit streams were financed by advertisements for cryptocurrency and gambling programs.
The report is predicated on the supposition that there was just one viewer of the specified stream, which implies there were probably a lot more individuals watching the fight illegally overall.
It’s the most people that have ever watched an illicitly streamed athletic event.
According to a DAZN representative, “sports piracy is theft.” DAZN spends a lot of money battling it, employing technology to track user behavior, and warning fans about the dangers.
“Although it could appear like a victimless crime, the majority of illicit streams are either supplied by criminal networks or come with a danger of identity theft and phishing. We advise against using illicit feeds because they could jeopardize your personal data or the sport you care about.”