Amazon is rolling out a tougher approach to combat illegal streaming, with the United States-based tech company aiming to block apps loaded onto all its Fire TV Stick devices that are identified as providing pirated content.

The move is outlined in a new documentary episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, The Underground World of Illegal Streaming, which looks into the role played by Amazon Fire Sticks in the growing sports piracy market.

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Exclusive data provided to The Athletic from researchers YouGov Sport highlighted that approximately 4.7 million UK adults watched illegal streams in the UK over the past six months, with 31 per cent using Fire Stick (this has become a catch-all term for plug-in devices, even if not made by Amazon) and other IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) devices. It is now the second-most popular method behind websites (42 per cent).

Amazon launched a new Fire TV Stick last month — the 4K Select, which is plugged into a TV to facilitate streaming via the internet — that it insists will be less of a breeding ground for piracy. It comprises enhanced security measures — via a new Vega operating system — and only apps available in Amazon’s app store will be available for customers to download.

While Fire Sticks are not illegal, the software loaded onto them can cause issues.

Sports rights holders and other broadcasters have long been frustrated with previous iterations of the Fire TV Stick device due to its open developer software. Unauthorised third-party apps providing illegal streaming platforms can therefore be easily ‘side-loaded’ onto the system. These platforms are often subscription services that are far cheaper than legal sports providers — usually costing £40 to £60 ($50 to $80) per year — and can fund criminal networks.

Amazon insists the clampdown will apply to the new and old devices, but registered developers will still be able to use Fire Sticks for legitimate purposes.

“Piracy is illegal and we’ve always worked to block it from our app store,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Athletic. “We’ll now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our app store. This builds on our ongoing efforts to support creators and protect customers, as piracy can also expose users to malware, viruses and fraud.”

Amazon has worked with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which fights piracy on behalf of more than 50 media companies, on the new initiative.

“It’s my obligation and my job to pull together the data to help these companies make informed decisions and that’s something that we work on with Amazon,” said Larissa Knapp, who is chief content protection officer for the Motion Picture Association, which heads up ACE. “We’re committed to helping them succeed in this space.”

The former FBI agent, who features in the podcast episode, says that although many companies have “aggressive programmes to prevent illegal streaming”, the “criminals get creative” and therefore “intelligence sharing and partnerships are so critical”.

The roll-out has started in Germany and France and will be expanded globally in the coming weeks and months.

Over the summer, The Athletic learned that Amazon had sporadically started blocking apps suspected of being linked to illegal sports streaming.

Multiple sources within the industry outlined the reasons for the move, including that top Amazon bosses had been contacted by law enforcement officials in the U.S. due to a threat to national security emanating from the APAC (Asia Pacific) region, as a result of malware loaded onto the devices. Malware is software that can be used to steal data from users or enable other forms of cybercrime.

Amazon pushed back on that precise claim and said it would not comment directly on specific interactions with law enforcement but said it “works with industry partners and relevant authorities to combat piracy and protect customers from risks”.

Asked directly about four illegal streaming apps that had been disabled, it confirmed it was because those apps were “exhibiting malicious behaviour”.

Amazon added: “Safeguarding our customers’ security is of the utmost importance, and we regularly monitor for and take action against potentially harmful third-party apps.”

Gareth Sutcliffe is a leading tech researcher from Enders Analysis, who speaks on a range of topics in the episode, including the role of the Fire TV Stick device. He says that the previous — and still widely used — device made by Amazon “enables piracy” and that it’s “a broadly risky device for consumer safety”.

Sutcliffe says it “provides a very easy path for malware to enter into a home-computing environment”, there were “policies around developing apps for that device that Amazon took a certain position on and broadly got wrong” as they had made “an open computing device” that was a playground for “a whole world of nefarious actors”.

Amazon said “pirated content violates our policies” and “compromises the security and privacy of our customers”, adding that it “protects customers from the risks associated with pirated content”. “We warn customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources,” it said.

Amazon’s move to stem the tide of illegal sports streaming will be welcomed by other stakeholders, including sports organisations such as the Premier League, whose Singapore office is largely focused on anti-piracy issues. UEFA recently became the first sports governing body to join ACE to clamp down on the theft of copyrighted content and has TV rights agreements with Amazon to show Champions League fixtures.

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