MILAN: Meta and Serie A have reached a cooperation agreement against the illegal live broadcast of football matches, they announced on Friday, as the Italian first division league steps up efforts to protect the value of its broadcast rights .

As part of the agreement, Serie A will have access to certain Meta tools for real-time monitoring, reporting and rapid removal of all Serie A matches broadcast illegally on the American giant’s social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram.

“In particular, we are helping the league to develop software that would facilitate and speed up the reporting process,” said Luca Colombo, country director of Meta in Italy.

TV rights account for the bulk of revenue for Serie A teams, including champions Inter, AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus.

Online search giants and social media platforms have often been accused by rights holders of facilitating access to illegal live streaming services.

Under five-year contracts to broadcast matches in its home market until 2029, Serie A pocketed some 4.5 billion euros ($4.7 billion) from sports streaming platform DAZN and Comcast’s pay-TV unit, Sky.

“The cooperation with Meta is a first step and I hope that other platforms will join our efforts,” said Luigi De Siervo, general director of Serie A.

Italian authorities have stepped up efforts to combat online piracy, which costs broadcasters and sports leagues around the world billions of euros.

Rome approved a law last year that allows the country’s communications watchdog (AGCOM) to quickly remove pirate streaming channels with a focus on live events, including sports.

This month, Italian police dismantled a video piracy network that had more than 22 million users across Europe, with an alleged turnover of 3 billion euros a year. ($1 = 0.9521 euros)