A Welsh postman has been sentenced to three years in prison for orchestrating an illegal operation involving the sale of Premier League streams and loaded Fire Sticks to nearly 2,000 customers. Michael David Barrow, 48, from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, managed this lucrative enterprise, dubbed ‘MB Streams,’ over a span of five years, amassing over £200,000 in the process.
The scale of Barrow’s illicit activities resulted in significant financial damage to major broadcasters, including Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and BT Sport. Prosecutors estimate that these companies endured losses of approximately £6 million due to his streaming service.
To cover his tracks, Barrow instructed his customers to disguise their payments, labeling them as transactions for classic or retro football kits. These payments were processed either through PayPal or directly into his bank account.
In 2021, authorities were tipped off by reports to the CrimeStoppers charity, prompting police to visit Barrow’s residence. Despite a cease-and-desist notice and being informed of past cases where offenders had faced imprisonment, Barrow chose to ignore the warnings and persisted with his scheme.
In a bid to evade detection, Barrow began using the encrypted messaging app Telegram for customer communications, believing it would shield his illegal activities from law enforcement scrutiny. However, his efforts to remain under the radar ultimately proved futile.
But Barrow continued his operation and took steps to avoid being caught again, including insisting that customers communicate with him via the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
Barrow also had his account suspended by Facebook for violating intellectual property rules.
Ari Alibhai, prosecuting on behalf of the Premier League, told the court that for more than four years Barrow had supplied over 1,800 customers with apps and modified Firesticks
It is believed that a live football game can draw ‘tens of thousands’ of viewers to illegal streams
The court heard that Barrow only accepted new customers on recommendation from existing customers and insisted on the use of full names to avoid the operation being, as he put it, ‘infiltrated by Sky agents’.
Ari Alibhai, prosecuting on behalf of the Premier League, told the court that for more than four years he had supplied over 1,800 customers with apps and modified Firesticks at about £120 a year, a fraction of what legitimate broadcasters charged.
Barrow had previously pleaded guilty to three offences of making and supplying articles for use in fraud when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.
Representing Barrow, barrister Megan Williams said he had expressed genuine remorse for what he had done and accepted that what he had started in 2019 as a ‘misguided wish’ to help friends and family then ‘snowballed’ into something far larger.
Judge Paul Thomas noted that while Barrow was engaged in the online piracy he had a ‘steady income’ working for the postal service, and said it was clear the defendant’s motivation was simply ‘pure greed’.
He was sentenced to 38 months in prison and will serve 40 per cent of the term in custody before being released on licence.
His is the latest in a number of high-profile cases as broadcasters seek to crack down on the sharp rise in pirated content. Research published in 2023 by the Intellectual Property Office found that nearly four million people in the UK had illegally streamed live sport in the previous year.
In 2025 a man based in Halifax was jailed for two years after cheating legitimate providers out of more than £108,000 over an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022.
Sunny Kanda (pictured) was jailed for two years in 2025 after cheating legitimate providers out of more than £108,000 over an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022
The Amazon Fire Stick is an entirely legal piece of technology in its original form, allowing users to stream legitimate services including Netflix and BBC iPlayer, but it can be easily modified (or ‘jailbroken’) to enable access to apps showing pirated sports content.
So many people are watching these illegal streams that the scale is now comparable to ‘industrial’ theft, according to media analysts at Enders, via the Financial Times.
A single high-profile event, such as a live football match, can draw ‘tens of thousands’ of viewers away from legitimate streams and towards pirated content, the report stated.
Fans argue that this trend is driven by the sharp rise in monthly subscription fees for streaming services.
In the 2023-24 season, it is estimated that fans needed to pay around £870 per year in TV subscriptions to watch all televised Premier League matches.
