Rojadirecta complies with court order


Details

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez

| 30 November 2015




Two days after a court ordered Rojadirecta.me to stop streaming sports within a week, the platform has gone dark, but several similar sites have now appeared.



“Due to a court order, still pending appeal, promoted by DTS [Canal+’s owner], which is currently controlled by Telefónica, Rojadirecta has temporarily stopped working for the first time in ten years,” said the website administrator in a short statement. “We wait for you here, very soon. We can be contacted through email, Facebook and Twitter.”

What seemed impossible not so long ago, has been now achieved by the legal owners of broadcasting rights - companies such as Telefónica and Mediapro - due to a new, more restrictive copyright legislation.

Rojadirecta.me was accused of unfair competition, as it was profiting through advertising streaming content owned by other companies. According to La Liga, Rojadirecta.me has cost the Spanish broadcasting industry over €500 million a year.

But as one site closes, others take its place, indicating the real effectiveness of the move. New similar sites like Tarjetarojaonline - with a look and structure very similar to Rojadirecta - and other long-standing platforms such as Rojadirectatv or Rojadirectaonline have been quick to take advantage of the existing demand.