The EPL drama – paving the way for more illegal streaming? Digital piracy of live sports broadcasts in Singapore

Donna Wong

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)
    465 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Along with the rise of digital media technologies, digitisation disrupted and reconfigured the established practices of previously discrete media markets. The erosion of conventional media divisions has resulted in wide-ranging ramifications for sports broadcasts as it shifts from the historically dominant platform of broadcast television to the digital environment of the Internet in the new mediascape. This paper considers how these emergent practices from the advent of media technology have represented significant challenges to the mediascape of sports broadcasts in Singapore. Given the popularity of mediated Western sports in Singapore, it comes as no surprise that the challenge of sports broadcasts piracy is acute in the country. Singapore has an exceedingly high degree of online infringement compared to other countries in the region. Data discloses that Singapore’s per capita infringement ranks first in Asia and fifth highest globally. This paper seeks to review the phenomenon in Singapore, examining the drivers that created the unique market dynamics which shaped the piracy of sports broadcasts in the country. The paper goes on to discuss provisions in Singapore in terms of copyright law and enforcement that are in place for the deterrence of sports broadcasts piracy. It considers the adequacy of these current approaches and concludes with an observation of how Singapore will seek to adjust to the continual digital advancement in its battle against digital sports piracy. The outcome of this assessment helps provide an additional account for its comparison with existing discourse on the challenges of digitisation on sports broadcasts development in advanced capitalist Asian countries. Publisher statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Leisure Studies on 27 April 2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614367.2015.1035315
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)534-548
    JournalLeisure Studies
    Volume35
    Early online date27 Apr 2015
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Bibliographical note

    This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Leisure Studies on 27 April 2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614367.2015.1035315

    Keywords

    • English Premier League
    • piracy
    • Singapore
    • sports broadcasts

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