Australian public-service broadcaster SBS is investigating claims that its exclusive rights to the Tour de France are being undermined by British coverage of the cycling showpiece being live-streamed into Australia.
The Fairfax Media news agency said rogue operators are transmitting British commercial broadcaster ITV’s coverage of the Tour de France into Australia, adding that SBS’ lawyers have been alerted to the situation.
SBS has broadcast the Tour de France since 1990 and in July 2013 agreed a 10-year deal for the exclusive rights to the event until 2023. Fairfax said the 2014 Tour is the second major sporting event in as many months broadcast by SBS that has been hit by online piracy.
The first was the recently concluded Fifa World Cup. SBS said it had informed world football’s governing body of a “couple of isolated instances” of online piracy, but “there is no formal investigation being conducted”.
Commenting on the Tour de France, an SBS spokeswoman said: “As with any property for which SBS holds exclusive rights, if there were reports of activity that conflict with SBS’s rights for the Tour de France broadcast, SBS would look into it and consider the appropriate action.”