Horn-Pacquiao Title Fight: Foxtel Knocks Out Facebook Pirates
Foxtel acted swiftly yesterday to shut down Facebook users who attempted to broadcast pirated versions of the Brisbane world-title welterweight boxing match between Australia’s Jeff Horn and Filipino title holder Manny Pacquiao.
Horn, the underdog, won the match and becoming world welterweight champ, clearly outboxing Pacquiao over early rounds, despite appearing to flag in the last few rounds. A rematch seems likely.
Foxtel’s Main Event channel held the broadcasting rights to the fight, and charged customers A$59.95 to watch it. But shortly after the final bell a number of streams popped up on Facebook, broadcasting it for free.
Foxtel says it acted quickly, with Facebook’s help, to quash these streams which it claimed were illegal.
“We will examine these cases and consider any further action, but no decision has been taken about that at this time,” a spokesman said, quoted by news.com.au, a division of the Murdoch press, which also owns 50 percent of Foxtel.