Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Over the years, on the back of rising subscription prices to watch sport, fans have turned to IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services to watch football, boxing and the like. Now, Amazon have made another drastic move to prevent people streaming Premier League matches on Fire Sticks – or 'dodgy boxes'. FACT – an abbreviation of Federation Against Copyright Theft – are working with tons of broadcasters, including the likes of Sky, TNT Sports and Virgin Media, to crack down on people using the 'fully loaded' devices, which show all manner of events. That includes the 3pm Premier League fixtures which, for broadcasting purposes, cannot be shown live in the United Kingdom. Back in 2021, The New York Times described the ongoing issue as a "pirated live sport endemic in the UK", after a study released figures that eight million people were watching illegal streams at the time. That number, inevitably, will have risen in the four years following, given that subscriptions to Sky Sports have continued to decline. For months, and even years, now, streamers have been warned of the consequences. Countless raids and arrests have taken place by FACT, but that hasn't deterred a large chunk of fans from ignoring the repercussions and continuing to stream live sports events illegally through their jailbroken Amazon Fire Sticks. Fresh Blow Delivered to Those Watching Sports on Amazon Fire Sticks Recently, in mid-October, a full list of areas that were being targeted in the latest crackdown was released – London, Kent, Northamptonshire and Merseyside were among those. In terms of the latter, a 29-year-old man from Liverpool, Jonathan Edge, was given a three-year prison sentence for selling and using devices. He ignored multiple cease-and-desist letters, which proves the police and FACT are doing all they can to deter users. Following Amazon's release of its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select, they've made a number of moves to prevent its devices being used in an illegal manner. The new stick uses an in-house Amazon system called Vega – which operates entirely differently to the old Android system utilised on previous models. List of areas in the UK targeted by Fire Stick crackdown London Kent Sussex Norfolk Northamptonshire Lincolnshire Staffordshire East and West Midlands Greater Manchester Cheshire Merseyside Northumbria North Yorkshire As a result, it's been made significantly more difficult for users to download 'sideloading apps', which is when they add apps outside the official store. In layman's terms, anyone getting their hands on the latest model of the Amazon Fire Stick will not be able to download the apps that host the illegal streams of football. That is not the only change which will make it impossible for users to stream sports – including football in England's top flight – illegally. In a second blow, the new Fire TV 4K Select will also not permit the use of VPNs, which typically allow users to hide their identity and location, all while using streaming platforms from different countries. As reported by The Metro, the move is expected to be temporary as the function should be available in an upcoming software update sooner rather than later. FACT, to reiterate their point, have warned users of the potential consequences of being caught. "If you're supplying or using illicit streaming devices or illegal IPTV subscriptions, take this as a clear warning: you are breaking the law and risk facing serious consequences," their statement read. "We will continue working with police to track down and shut down these illegal operations. The police across the UK have been unstinting in their efforts to tackle this criminality, and we are grateful for their assistance." Kieron Sharp, Chairman of FACT, told LADbible Group in a statement: "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."
