Police hope the latest action against those streaming with unreliable Fire TV Sticks will send “a strong message” to those breaking copyright law by watching Sky TV without paying – warning individuals “we’re coming”.
Built and distributed by Amazon, Fire TV Sticks are an incredibly popular and affordable way to bring games and streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and ITVX to each television with an HDMI port. The lightweight hardware supports chatty AI assistant Alexa, which can control smart lighting, internet-connected thermostats, Ring video doorbells and other smart home devices.
However, this cheap streaming hardware is often used by criminals to provide a painless way to watch copyrighted material at a fraction of the cost.
Modified Fire TV Sticks, also known as ‘fully loaded’, can be used to unlock access to live Premier League streams, the latest Hollywood blockbusters and exclusive series from HBO, Netflix and Disney+, to name a few .
A 42-year-old man from Nottingham was arrested for using equipment to distribute free TV programmes, films and sport exclusive to Sky TV packages via illegal streams.
Modified Fire TV Sticks are designed to enable hassle-free free access to copyrighted material
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The person was arrested under several laws, including the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Computer Misuse Act and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. He has since been released on bail while investigations continue.
Detective Sergeant David Beach, based at Nottinghamshire Police’s Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This action sends a strong message that we are targeting those who knowingly commit or facilitate copyright infringement online.”
“Not only does this particular operation pose a huge loss to the entertainment industry, but it is also unfair that millions of people work hard to pay for their subscription-only TV services while others cheat the system,” he added. “Some may think that paying for illegal streaming devices and services is a victimless crime, but that is not the case.”
Speaking about the latest police action, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky Matt Hibbert said: “We would like to thank Nottinghamshire Police’s Cyber Crime Team for taking this strong action against illegal streaming operators. We will continue to support law enforcement to protect our content, tackle illegal streaming and help protect consumers from the risks that illegal streaming can bring.”
It follows a wave of activity by law enforcement to tackle illegal streaming in the UK.
A 52-year-old man was arrested in Stockton-on-Tees on suspicion of involvement in a completely separate illegal streaming operation first uncovered by the North East Regional Organized Crime Unit. Earlier this month the Merseyside Police Cyber Crime Unit confirmed that a 41-year-old Liverpool man was given a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of promoting and selling modified Fire TV sticks which provided access to paid movies, TV shows and live Premier League matches.
In March, FACT worked with the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and the Premier League targets 11 people in the UKwho sold illegal access to premium TV content, including live Premier League matches via modified or so-called “fully loaded” Smart TV devices or Fire TV Sticks.
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Illegal streams can be viewed online in a web browser, via a modified device such as a ‘dodgy’ or ‘fully loaded’ Fire TV Stick, or with third-party add-on software for platforms such as Kodi.
The umbrella term for all these devices and methods is IPTV, or Internet Protocol Television, which describes how content is delivered over a broadband connection. Of course this doesn’t necessarily mean anything illegal, Sky Stream is an IPTV device that provides legal access to Sky Sports, Sky Atlantic, Netflix and more.
With the advent of user-friendly streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify, piracy rates have fallen. But as the number of services needed to watch the most popular shows continues to expand and subscription prices steadily rise, the cost of living crisis has led many people to look for cheaper ways to access content.
This has proven to be a gold mine for those looking to sell so-called ‘dodgy’ Fire TV sticks – devices packed with premium shows, movies and football streams. Sometimes these devices come with a monthly subscription, although this is usually less than the subscription best Sky Stream deals can offer.
Sky TV has exclusive deals with a number of popular American shows from HBO, including House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Succession, Euphoria, Mare of Easttown, The Wire, And Game of Thrones. The company also commissions a variety of its own shows, such as the award-winning comedy Coppery, I hate SuzieAnd Chernobyl.
It also has the rights to hundreds of Premier League and English Football League matches, which will be broadcast as part of that a rebooted Sky Sports+ service in the next months. Sky Cinema offers early access to Hollywood films and Vue cinema tickets every month.
Law enforcement officials previously warned those viewing or distributing fully loaded Fire TV Sticks in Britain “expect a knock on the door”. Earlier this year, GB News revealed that Chat-GPT could offer advice to those looking to use Fire TV Stick devices to watch free Sky TV content.
A recent study found that 90% of fifty illegal streaming sites analyzed were classified as risky.
“Illegal streaming is far from a victimless crime, and in addition to the impact it has on companies and content creators, it essentially means legitimate subscribers are paying for those who access such services illegally,” Detective Inspector Steve Frame warned.
“Illegal streams also increase the risk of users receiving malware, putting them at greater risk of falling victim to Computer Misuse Act violations. We will use all powers available and continue to work with FACT to identify anyone else involved in this form. of crime and bring them to justice.”