‘Dodgy’ Fire Stick users are costing broadcasters and sports bodies billions of dollars per year, a new report has revealed. 

Following repeated alerts from the Premier League, there has been a major focus on tackling illegal streaming, in particular ‘dodgy’ Fire Sticks, which illegally give fans access to major TV channels.

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.

Sky and DAZN are said to be two of multiple other companies worried about the soaring rise in the rate of TV piracy.

So many people are watching these illegal streams that it is now comparable to stealing on an ‘industrial scale’, according to media analysts at Enders via The Financial Times.

The report went on to state that a single high-profile event, such as a live football match, can draw ‘tens of thousands’ of viewers away from legitimate streams and towards pirated content.

This number can be multiplied many times when the links to these illegal streams are shared on social media.

One common way of accessing illegal streams is by using devices like the Amazon Firestick – an entirely legal piece of technology in its original form.

But the stick can be easily modified (or ‘jailbroken’) to allow users to access apps which show pirated sports content. 

The report states that around 59 per cent in the UK who own Fire Sticks have used them for these illicit purposes in the past 12 months.

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.

Meanwhile, in France, Arcom, a regulatory body, released a study that said the sports sector had lost €240m (£200m) from audi-visual privacy. 

Fans will argue that this phenomenon is due to the exponential rise in monthly subscription fees for streaming services.

In the 2023-24 season, it is estimated that fans had to pay around £870 each year in TV subscriptions if they wished to see all televised Premier League games.

Assuming not every UK household is full of sports fanatics alone, their TV bill would be much higher.

Cinema, documentary, and children’s TV packages would add to this £870 fee, meaning some homes would see their bill run well over £1000.

Meanwhile, the argument of major broadcasting companies – like Sky, TNT or DAZN – is that they pay huge sums of money to broadcast live football and other sporting events.

People pay for a monthly subscription to access these services, so when viewers are redirected to free illegal sites, these big companies lose money.

If the cash loss becomes so significant that these companies cannot afford the right to stream in the future, the effects on the sporting world would be widespread, harming players, clubs, and jobs related to sports broadcasting.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) also warned viewers that they could face ‘serious consequences’ by using ‘dodgy’ Fire Sticks.

‘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,’ they said. 

‘We will continue working with police to track down and shut down these illegal operations.’

FACT have been leading the clampdown on the crime over recent months.

The campaign is focusing on dismantling piracy operations and has seen officers visit people in person as well as issuing cease-and-desist warnings in the mail, suggesting there would be criminal prosecution if they did not stop their activities immediately.

After Sonny Kanda’s sentencing earlier this year, Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT, said: ‘The outcome serves as both a consequence for those involved in these criminal activities, and as a strong warning to others considering similar action.

‘Illegal streaming isn’t a victimless crime. It weakens the creative industries, puts consumers at risk of data theft and often funds other serious crimes.’