SINGAPORE: The much-hyped megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor has sparked a fierce debate over piracy as over 239 illegal streams were detected, said a cyber security firm on Monday.
According to data collected by cybersecurity firm Irdeto, a total of 239 illegal streams were found to have redistributed the boxing match this past weekend, reaching nearly three million viewers.
Of the 239 illegal streams, 67 were on traditional pirate streaming websites, 165 were found on social media platforms including Facebook and Youtube, said Irdeto in a news release on Monday. Six were initiated via illicit streaming plugins for the popular media player platform Kodi.
Those offering illegal streaming have become more business savvy, noted Irdeto.
In the week leading up to the bout, the firm identified 42 advertisements for illicit streaming devices offering Mayweather vs McGregor on e-commerce websites, including Amazon, eBay and Alibaba.
“This clearly points to how business savvy pirates have become, creating a formidable foe for legitimate service providers,” Irdeto said.
