Last week, Twitch, one of the world’s largest streaming platforms, was prohibited in Spain. This restriction stems from copyright issues raised by the LaLiga soccer association regarding piracy concerns. Although numerous streamers utilize the service primarily for legitimate broadcasting activities, some individuals have employed it to illegally share television programs or films, thus violating the site’s intellectual property rights.
La Liga season started in August 2024 and will end on May 25, 2025. Since February, the league secured a legal injunction allowing them to shut down sites suspected of broadcasting games unlawfully. Following this ruling, Spanish internet service providers began enforcing the directive by restricting access to numerous platforms such as Twitch, Amazon, GitHub, Cloudflare, among others. Interestingly, some blocked sites do not engage in pirating activities at all.
The ban is not feasible for numerous Spanish businesses because they require access to certain websites for their day-to-day work. The sudden ban has resulted in a financial loss for many Spanish companies.
Further information regarding Twitch’s prohibition in Spain
Besides
Twitch
When someone gets banned, other online services remain inaccessible to everyone else since blocking an IP address for being linked with pirated content can cause sites or services associated with the same IP to be restricted as well.
As stated earlier, the court has granted LaLiga authority to shut down potential piracy websites, and this action has been ongoing since February 2025. The American video streaming platform was among the latest targets affected by these measures.
Moreover, the Spanish authorities have failed to provide clear information to their citizens concerning these restrictions. Numerous internet users find themselves confused by the abrupt unavailability of particular websites and services. It remains unclear to them whether these bans will be temporary or permanent.
This isn’t the first instance where an American streaming service has faced blocks from various countries. Similar occurrences have taken place elsewhere globally, like in Turkey and beyond.
South Kore
a. However, the reasons behind the ban were completely different.
In February 2024, Twitch and Kick faced temporary bans in Turkey due to issues related to gambling. Around the same period, South Korea prohibited these platforms primarily because of high operational expenses.
The ban of Twitch in Spain is causing problems for professional users, particularly.
streamers
. Netizens are questioning the government for the lack of transparency, as well as the lack of a less disruptive solution to LaLiga’s concerns.
