Dodgy boxes now pose an “existential threat” to the League of Ireland, a technology journalist has argued. 

A recent survey by ComReg of 3,000 Irish adults found that 57% are paying for traditional TV services, such as Sky or Virgin. 

The number represents a sharp decrease since 2023, when 70% were subscribing. 

Dodgy boxes

On Newstalk Breakfast, Irish Independent Technology Editor Adrian Weckler said there is little doubt what is driving the decrease. 

“The number of us who subscribe to the likes of Netflix and Disney and Apple TV, that has remained exactly the same as this time three years ago - no change at all,” he explained. 

“The only meaningful change is that one in five of us that were paying for Sky or Virgin or new entrants like Vodafone and Air TV, one in five of us have now ditched that subscription. We've stopped paying. 

“The number of people in Ireland paying for those traditional pay TV services has gone down from 70% to 57% in the last three years. 

“Now, it's very hard to see any other reason for that other than the proliferation of dodgy boxes.”

A man is holding a remote control. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Mr Weckler continued that the “huge proliferation” of dodgy boxes is due to lack of enforcement. 

While fines for users are sometimes floated by the industry, at present, using a dodgy box is essentially consequence free. 

“It is against Irish law to use a dodgy box,” he said. 

“It's very clear in Irish copyright law, but there's no way of fining people easily. There's no administrative fine for individual users.

“So, instead they go after the sellers and the distributors. That strategy is not working.”

'They've got a problem' 

Subscription platforms are keenly aware that they are haemorrhaging revenue due to dodgy boxes.

However, their efforts to retain customers, so far, have proved futile. 

“HBO Max, for example, the new streaming platform, when that comes on stream later this month, they're going to throw that in,” Mr Weckler said. 

“They're also adding Disney for free to a lot of the regular packages. 

“So, they know that they've got a problem and they're trying to aggressively respond.”

Ultimately, Mr Weckler added, the downward trend threatens the future of Irish sport, drama and documentaries, who rely on the revenue generated by subscriptions. 

“I mean, this is as much about whether there is a legitimate future for the TV industries,” he said. 

“The likes of the League of Ireland are now saying that up to half of people who watch football now watch on dodgy boxes - that's an existential threat, not just to millionaire salaries.”

Main image: A split of a TV remote and a League of Ireland match. Pictures by: Alamy.com.