Rojadirecta became popular for offering free live sports streams, but this led to ongoing copyright lawsuits and shutdowns.
Rojadirecta maintains it’s a legal website because it doesn’t host any pirated content. Instead, it aggregates streaming links from other sites. When a user clicks on a stream, they are redirected to the site hosting the content.
Educational Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. We do not endorse or promote the use of Rojadirecta or any other unofficial/unauthorized streaming platforms. Accessing pirated content may expose you to legal consequences and security risks. We strongly recommend using only official and licensed streaming services to watch live sports and other media.
However, Sports broadcasters and rights holders have a different stand and have repeatedly sued Rojadirecta for copyright infringement. The platform has been blocked in various countries, including the US, Spain, France, and Denmark.
The shutdown and geo-blocking haven’t stopped the Rojadirecta operators, and various domains are still operational. What’s unclear is whether these sites are related to the original Rojadirecta platform or are mirrors and copycats.
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Background of Rojadirecta
Rojadirecta was established in 2005 as a free soccer streaming website. It was created at a time when internet use was growing, and live games were hidden behind a paywall. When word spread that a website was offering free sports streams, Rojadirecta’s popularity skyrocketed.
Should You Avoid Rojadirecta?
Yes! You should!
While Rojadirecta is still running and available in various jurisdictions, we recommend avoiding it for safety and legal reasons. Instead, you may explore some of the official and legal sports streaming sites.
Some of the domains have been seized by the US government’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Some of its domains are copycats and phishing scams.
Safety Analysis of Rojadirecta
Known Reports from Cybersecurity blogs and Online Forums
I came across a few reports warning users of Rojadirecta for legal and safety reasons. One such report is by Stream Safely, a website that helps users find safe sites to watch movies, TV shows, live sports, and more. This report cites the legal woes facing Rojadirecta in Spain and other countries like Denmark as a reason to steer clear of the platform.
Some of the Rojadirecta domains have been marked as suspicious or unsafe by cybersecurity blogs.
Legal Risks
Streaming live sports and other sports content via unofficial sites, such as Rojadirecta, carries several legal risks.
The legal implications vary depending on the copyright laws of your country. These legal risks include:
- Criminal and civil prosecution leading to hefty fines and jail time
- Being blacklisted by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- Your devices can be confiscated by law enforcement
Since its inception, Rojadirecta has faced several legal actions/lawsuits across different countries. The most notable legal actions taken against the sports streaming site include:
- USA– In 2011, the US law enforcement body, Homeland Security Investigations, seized two Rojadirecta domains following a court order. However, Rojadirecta appealed this ruling and won, prompting the US government to return the domains.
- Spain- In 2016, sports broadcasters in Spain filed a lawsuit in court against Rojadirecta. The Commercial Court of Caruña ordered Rojadirecta to stop linking to copyrighted live sports content. Additionally, the court ruled that the site was liable for damages incurred by MediaPro, and the determination of the compensation was set for another trial.
- Italy– In 2022, Rojadirecta lost a legal lawsuit filed by Italian sports broadcaster MediaSet. The site was ordered to pay €529,579.50 in damages, and an additional €24, 786.00 in legal fees and interest.
- Denmark – In 2020, a Danish Court ruled that Rojadirecta had violated LaLiga’s copyrights by recording and distributing live matches. ISPs in Denmark were ordered to block access to Rojadirecta and related mirror sites.
- Spain – In 2024, the Spanish Supreme Court upheld the 2016 ruling that Rojadirecta’s operator, Seoane, and its parent company, Puerto 80 Projects, were jointly liable for damages incurred by MediaPro and La Liga. The court also ordered Rojadirecta to pay €31.6 million in damages for pirating the live matches of the 2014-2015 season.
Rojadirecta has also been flagged as an illegal site and blocked in various countries. It’s outlawed in countries like Spain, Peru, Denmark, Colombia, and France.
Too Many Ads
The online forums indicate that display ads are present on most of these Rojadirecta sites. The most prominent ads are redirects, and some of them are too intrusive. These redirects appear when you attempt to click on the provided streaming links.
A huge red flag is that most of these ads redirect to dangerous sites, flagged by security scanners such as Google Safe Browsing and Firefox’s Phishing and Malware Protection.
The ads also redirect to betting, forex trading, and cryptocurrency scams, as well as adult sites and fake news websites.
5 Safer Rojadirecta Alternatives
Keeping everything we have learned about Rojadirecta so far, it is best to avoid it. In fact, I recommend avoiding any unverified or suspicious sites that offer free streaming, which is otherwise available only through a paid subscription.
Below are safer and completely legal alternatives to Rojadirecta for watching live sports online. I have included both paid and free options.
1. ESPN+ (Paid)
ESPN+ is one of the most popular live sports streaming services, especially for lovers of American sports.
It offers UFC, NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, LaLiga, and a variety of college sports.
How to Install & Watch ESPN Plus
2. Fubo (Paid)
Fubo offers a wide variety of live sports coverage, including NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, NASCAR, college sports, boxing, tennis, and golf.
Besides live sports, the streaming service offers live TV channels in sports, entertainment, kids, news, and movies.
3. Peacock (Paid)
Peacock is the official broadcaster of the Premier League in North America.
You can watch all Premier League matches live on the platform, as well as Big Ten Football, NBA, NFL, rugby, golf, cycling, and motorsports.
How to Install & Watch Peacock TV
4. 7Plus (Free)
Australia’s Channel 7 is one of the most reputable sports broadcasting networks, offering live coverage of motorsports, football, cricket, horse racing, and other popular world sports.
You can watch these live events online via 7Plus, its over-the-top streaming service. However, you need a powerful VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to bypass geo-restrictions.
5. Pluto TV (Free)
Pluto TV lets you watch thousands of free movies, TV shows, and live TV.
The channel lineup includes dedicated sports channels that offer live coverage of sports events. These include Pluto TV Sports, Major League Soccer, Sports Grid, Redbull TV, and Eleven Sports.
How to Install Pluto TV on FireStick
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Rojadirecta has faced multiple lawsuits and copyright infringement cases in Spain, the US, Italy, and other countries. Courts have ruled against it, and it’s blocked in many regions. Using it may expose you to legal risks.
Not directly. Rojadirecta aggregates links from other websites. However, courts have ruled that linking to copyrighted content without authorization still violates intellectual property laws.
No. Many mirror sites contain intrusive ads, fake redirects, and scams flagged by tools like Google Safe Browsing, Norton Safe Web, and ScamAdviser. This makes Rojadirecta unsafe even aside from legal risks.
Safer and official options include ESPN+, Fubo, Peacock, 7Plus, and Pluto TV. These platforms provide legitimate access to live sports without exposing you to security or legal problems.
Conclusion
Despite its popularity, Rojadirecta poses legal and safety risks that can’t be ignored. It has been blocked in several countries, including Spain, Denmark, France, and Colombia, for copyright infringement. It was also found liable for piracy damages after a legal battle with sports media company MediaPro and La Liga. You’re better off using legitimate live sports streaming sites to avoid legal repercussions as a streamer.
In addition, many Rojadirecta domains and mirror sites are potentially scams or phishing sites. Some of them have been flagged as suspicious by online tools like Norton Safe Web, ScamAdviser, and VirusTotal. It’s best to avoid Rojadirecta and all domains using this brand for safety purposes.
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