Pay-television operator Fox Networks Group Latin America has said it is preparing to lead an industry-wide legal claim against Sportflix, amid piracy allegations levelled against the OTT streaming platform.
Sportflix has not launched as planned amid an investigation by the IMPI, the Mexican regulator for intellectual property.
The platform, which had promised to offer coverage of hundreds of sporting events in Latin America, was scheduled to launch on August 30. However, the platform’s website posted a message last week that said that it must “go through the necessary processes to provide the best quality of sports broadcasts.”
Several media companies, including Fox Networks Group Latin America, ESPN, Globo and Turner, said last month that they had not engaged with Sportflix.
The IMPI said that it was investigating Sportflix after the platform was accused of offering sports programming that is shown by broadcasters without authorisation. Carlos Martínez, president of Fox Networks Group Latin America, has said legal action is now being prepared for when the IMPI completes its probe.
“We have prepared the complaint as an industry, but we have to wait for the results of the investigation to come out,” Martínez told Mexican newspaper El Financiero. “If Sportflix has content they bought and is legal, they are welcome; but if they it is stolen, we will act legally.”
El Financiero added that the likes of motor-racing series Formula One and Formula E, as well as European football’s governing body Uefa and Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican club football, have confirmed they had no dealings with Sportflix.