lALIGA has participated as a strategic partner of the audiovisual and anti-piracy sector in the second phase of the operation KRATOS, called KRATOS 2, an international action directed against criminal networks dedicated to the illegal distribution of protected content through IPTV services and unauthorized streaming platforms.
The operationdeveloped with the support of Europol between September 2025 and April 2026, brought together police forces from several European countriesin addition to the United Kingdom and the United States. Its objective was to dismantle the criminal infrastructure that allows the illicit exploitation of premium content, including sports broadcasts, movies and television channels.
LALIGA’s participation responds to its commitment to the protection of audiovisual rightsthe defense of the sports industry and the fight against digital piracy. This activity not only generates significant economic benefits for criminal organizations, but also exposes users to cybersecurity risks such as malware, spyware, data theft and other forms of online exploitation.
The operation has been a step forward in the fight against the criminal ecosystem that supports these illegal services, going beyond the simple removal of web pages. The investigations focused on identifying those responsible for the managementmarketing and technical operation of these platforms, as well as dismantling the infrastructure that allows their operation in different jurisdictions.
As a result, heThe authorities have reported 29 arrests among the 86 identified suspectsmore than 148 home searches, the dismantling of nine organized criminal groups, 59 cases referred to judicial authorities and 72 criminal investigations still ongoing. Besides, 169 domains were reported, 27,332 URLs were removed and 722,961 infringing objects were identified.
The operation also had the collaboration of private partners from the audiovisual and anti-piracy sector such as BeIN Media Group, UEFA, AAPA and Irdetoamong others. Thanks to this cooperation, 4,370 new domains linked to piracy activities, 18,331 IP addresses associated with illegal services, 397,384 URLs reported for suspension or removal and another 126,979 infringing objects were identified.
LALIGA will continue to collaborate with authorities, international organizations and partners in the sector to combat audiovisual piracy networks, protect the value of competitions and reinforce the security of users against illegal services that, under the guise of cheap access to premium content, are part of complex criminal structures.
Organized crime adapts to the digital environment
What may seem to many consumers to be a cheap way to access high-quality content is, in reality, powered by highly sophisticated criminal organizations. Groups operating illegal streaming services are increasingly resorting to complex technical infrastructuresseparating the websites visible to users from the servers that host the content and distributing their operations between different countries to make their detection more difficult.
Therefore, The researchers chose to focus their efforts not only in closing web pages, but throughout the criminal ecosystem that supports these services. This approach allowed authorities to collect information on the criminal groups operating behind the platforms and identify the main suspects involved in their management and technical operation.
