📰 New article from TorrentFreak
Broadcaster Loses FIFA World Cup Rights After 20 Years, Citing “Rampant Piracy”
End of an Era in Malaysia
If you’ve lived in Malaysia for the last two decades, the FIFA World Cup has likely meant one thing: a subscription to Astro. But after 20 years as “The Home of the World Cup,” that reign is officially over. For the 2026 tournament, the rights have shifted to public broadcaster RTM and Unifi TV.
Why the sudden breakup? It turns out, math and mayhem played a role. Astro pointed to a toxic combo of skyrocketing licensing costs and “rampant piracy” during the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. Essentially, they found it impossible to justify the massive price tag when so many fans were watching for free via illegal streams.
Here is the twist: the new setup might actually kill the incentive to pirate. Since the government stepped in with RM24 million (~$6.1 million) to fund the rights, much of the coverage will be available via free streams.
It’s a classic case of supply and demand. When you remove the paywall, you remove the primary reason people turn to shady streaming sites. Whether this trend holds steady or if fans head back to the dark corners of the internet remains to be seen.