Police have arrested four people and seized servers worth £750,000 in a major new development in the war against illegal streaming.
Use of ‘dodgy’ fire sticks allowing viewers to stream sport, films and a huge number of streaming channels without paying the subscription is on the rise and only last month Sky warned of a significant crackdown in partnership with the authorities.
City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit’s latest bust has seen them arrest four.
They confirmed that during a raid in Manchester last week they also found 10 servers and equipment valued at around £75,000 each, £750,000 overall.
The massive streaming operation is a significant win for Sky and the police as the network was understood to serve millions of viewers in the UK.
Sky tipped off the police after becoming suspicious of certain activity in the area and one of the suspects arrested is said to have made £3million from the extensive operation.
Pictured: Servers seized by police in a raid worth up to £750,000 last week
Most British sports fans think it’s fine to illegally stream live action, according to an industry report that was published in January.
With football rights fragmented across multiple broadcasters, fans could be asked to shell out more than £1,350 each year to watch games on TV when Paramount+ starts broadcasting the Champions League in 2027.
While there are not any official figures for the number of people using ‘dodgy’ Fire Sticks, the estimate nationally is five million.
If someone is found guilty of using illicit device to stream, they could face criminal charges under Section 11 of the 2006 Fraud Act.
Anyone found guilty of such an offence could be fined heavily or face a prison sentence up to five years.
Those who have not distributed illegal Fire Sticks but still use them to avoid paying subscriptions for the likes of Sky and TNT Sport will face less severe action but could still be fined thousands and face up to a year in prison.
Detective Constable Jordan Day of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, said of the recent arrests: ‘It is more important than ever that our team works to protect the integrity of broadcasting and the millions of people who rely on it.
‘This operation demonstrates the impact we can have when we work closely with partners like Sky to dismantle these illegal networks, sending a clear message to those who profit from piracy that they will be held to account.’
Around 59 per cent of UK Fire Stick owners admit to using the device to watch illegal streams
Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Privacy at Sky, added: ‘We take the protection of our content extremely seriously, given the significant investment we make and will continue to work with the police and industry partners to disrupt the criminal networks behind piracy.
‘People who watch illegal streams should know that it isn’t a victimless crime: recent research by BeStreamWise advise that nearly 65 per cent of illegal streamers have faced security scares like malware through these unlawful methods. This action will help keep consumers, their devices and their personal data safe.’
Findings in the Sport Industry Report 2026, which sampled 1,002 members of the public and 264 sports professionals, show most Brits think it’s fine to illegally stream live action.
And even the majority of athletes believe it’s socially acceptable to use illegal pirating services, despite broadcasters indirectly boosting their salaries.
Damningly, 66 per cent of the sports professionals surveyed and 58 per cent of regular people think illegal streaming is acceptable – despite them claiming to be ‘interested’ or ‘very interested’ in sport.
Affordability of attending fixtures is the main concern for fans across every age group, according to the Sport Industry Report.
Following repeated alerts from the Premier League in recent years, there has been a major focus on tackling illegal streaming in the UK.
The latest arrests are one of the surest signs yet that Sky and the police are taking the issue seriously and hunting down illegal streaming networks.
