Efforts to curb the unauthorized streaming of Premier League matches through modified Amazon Fire Sticks are intensifying across the United Kingdom. Authorities are cracking down on these devices, which have been costing broadcasters and sports organizations billions annually in lost revenue.
For quite some time, individuals have been illegally enjoying live sports and other premium content using jailbroken Fire Sticks, which are altered versions of Amazon’s legitimate product. These devices have allowed users to bypass the usual subscription fees, much to the dismay of content providers who are now determined to put an end to this widespread piracy.
In a concerted effort, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is collaborating with police forces throughout the UK to identify and penalize those who are accessing content unlawfully. This initiative aims to uphold the integrity of broadcast rights and ensure fairness for paying subscribers.
This crackdown is part of a broader campaign by FACT, which last year joined forces with various police departments to conduct a two-week enforcement operation. They targeted 30 suppliers of illicit streaming services, delivering cease-and-desist letters and warning of potential criminal charges.
The crackdown is being implemented across several regions in the UK, and authorities have provided a detailed list of areas under scrutiny. The operation underscores the commitment of broadcasters and law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal streaming and protect intellectual property rights.
A crackdown on ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Sticks is targeting a range of areas across the UK
Broadcasters and sports bodies lose out on billions per year due to people illegally streaming
Last year, FACT and multiple police forces carried out a fortnight-long enforcement operation targeting 30 suppliers of illicit services. People were visited in person and cease-and-desist letters were sent out, with the threat of criminal prosecution.
Kieron Sharp, Chairman of FACT, said: ‘FACT’s enforcement activities against illegal streaming are ongoing throughout the year.
‘Together with our partners and the police, we constantly review new intelligence and target those areas of the UK and Ireland where the data shows that illegal streaming activity is taking place.
‘Our investigations are thorough, and we are relentless in our determination to stop illegal streaming and bring offenders to justice. To avoid jeopardising operations that are in progress, we do not share details publicly until enforcement action has been completed.’
Earlier this month, Amazon released a brand-new Fire Stick model which will make it very difficult to watch ‘fully loaded’ content.
Firstly, users of the latest model are, for now, not able to download VPNs (virtual private networks), which allow illegal streamers to hide their location.
Revealing that this change is something which will be addressed by Amazon in the future, a spokesperson told CordBusters at the product’s launch: ‘At initial retail availability, the new Fire TV 4K Select running Vega OS won’t support VPN apps, so NordVPN won’t be available in the App Store on day one.
‘Amazon plans to enable VPN protocols via a software update in late October. Our app is ready, and we’ll make it available in the Amazon App Store for the new Fire TV devices as soon as that update goes live.’
It is believed that a live football game can draw ‘tens of thousands’ of viewers to illegal streams
Around 59 per cent of UK Fire Stick owners admit to using the device to watch illegal streams
Even if VPNs are restored by late October, there’s no guarantee illegal streamers will be able to access jailbroken content in the same way they did before.
That’s because the Fire Stick’s new system prevents illegal streaming apps from being downloaded on the device.
Rather than using the open Android operating system, Fire Sticks will now be dressed with a new in-house alternative known as Vega, which is specifically designed not to run sideloaded apps.
Dodgy apps that were used on previous Android-run devices will now not work on the new Fire Sticks.
It comes after Sky, the largest broadcaster of Premier League matches in the UK, criticised Amazon for not doing enough to clamp down on piracy earlier this year.
‘There are football fans who literally have shirts printed with “dodgy boxes and fire sticks” on them,’ Sky’s chief operating officer Nick Herm said.
Following repeated alerts from the Premier League in recent years, there has been a major focus on tackling illegal streaming in the UK.
This has led to a string of arrests, including one man based in Halifax earlier this year, with Sonny Kanda jailed for two years after cheating legitimate providers out of more than £108,000 across an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022.
Research in 2023 by the Intellectual Property Office claimed that nearly four million people in the UK had illegally streamed live sport in the previous year.
In the 2023-24 season, it was estimated that fans had to pay around £870 each year in TV subscriptions if they wished to see all televised Premier League games.
