Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh unveils stunning plan to finally stop IPTV users streaming fights illegally

Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has unveiled a new plan to stop fans from illegally streaming fights using IPTV services.

Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, is responsible for booking the major fights that have taken place in the country over recent years.

Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are among the boxing stars to have fought in the nation's capital of Riyadh over the past 12 months.

Like other sports across the globe, boxing has seen increased levels of illegal streaming as pay-per-view (PPV) prices continue to rise steeply.

One method of illegal streaming is by using Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) technology, which delivers TV content through Internet Protocol (broadband) services.

The technology allows users to stream premium TV programmes that require permission or a licence to watch.

The Premier League has cracked down on the use of such content, with several people who had derived significant income from illegally selling the services either jailed or handed huge fines.

Now, Alalshikh has announced his plan to crack down on illegal streaming - by lowering PPV prices considerably.

He told talkSPORT's 'White and Jordan' programme on Monday: "You mention the [next] PPV [headlined by Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois].

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"I think this is my next big fight, and I want your advice also. I dream of a PPV with a good price to make the fans happy, and subscribe and get them to watch it legally.

"Usually when I see a high [priced] PPV, a lot of people go and watch the fight illegally, and this is not healthy for boxing and the platform.

"I would prefer to have one million fans subscribe and buy the PPV for £20 than less than 500,000 [for £40]."

Joshua vs Dubois is currently priced at £19.95 for UK viewers, with prices for previous fights often ranging from £24.99 to occasionally as high as £29.99.