Law enforcement has launched “one of the largest crackdowns to date” on modified Fire TV Sticks and other illicit streaming services — and issued a warning to anyone who uses these unlawfully modified devices to watch paid-for television shows, blockbuster movies, and live sports coverage for free that “this is just the start”.
Fire TV Sticks — designed, built, and distributed by teams inside Amazon — are an incredibly popular and affordable way to bring apps, games, and streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX to any 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.
This low-cost hardware is often used by criminals to offer illicit ways to stream at a fraction of the cost. Dubbed “fully loaded” Fire TV Sticks, these modified devices will sometimes ship with an annual subscription fee to access films, shows, and sports from Sky TV — although it’ll always undercut the best Sky Stream deals. Other times, criminals will charge an upfront cost for the modified Fire TV hardware and leave users to watch for free.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) has teamed up with broadcaster Sky and a swathe of police forces across the country to target individuals providing unauthorised access to premium TV content with illegal IPTV services and unlawfully modified Fire TV Stick devices.
Some of the illicit streaming devices found at one of the addresses, including modified versions of Amazon’s best-selling Fire TV Sticks
FACT HANDOUT
The latest crackdown — described as a “month-long coordinated nationwide surge” — saw authorities raid homes and make arrests, seize modified Fire TV Sticks and other streaming devices, and serve cease-and-desist notices across the UK. Police have previously warned ‘fully-loaded’ Fire TV Stick owners to expect a knock at the door.
From Essex to Dundee, 40 illegal IPTV operators were in the crosshairs of this long-planned operation.
Law enforcement also arrested a 42-year-old man in Nottingham, a 51-year-old man from Widnes and a 52-year-old man in Stockton-on-Tees. Digital devices and “fully loaded” smart TV boxes or Fire TV Sticks were seized from the addresses and are currently undergoing forensic examination by FACT.
Sky is actively working to remove listings and social media posts promoting the sale of illegal IPTV subscriptions and “loaded” Fire TV Sticks in the UK and Ireland. During this month-long intensification period, they culled over 3,000 separate listings for these illicit streaming services.
FACT says its latest operation targeted individuals across the UK, including London, South East England, West Midlands, North West, North East, North Wales and Scotland.
Dodgy Fire TV Sticks that enable free streaming and illegal IPTV services undermine broadcasters’ ability to commission new seasons of hit shows, since audiences are watching premium content without providing proper compensation for the network, actors, scriptwriters, and more.
Speaking about the latest crackdown on illegal streams, FACT Chief Executive Kieron Sharp said: “These measures underscore the serious consequences of engaging in such illicit activities. We thank the police services involved for their invaluable assistance in this operation, particularly Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and the North East Regional Crime Unit for executing the warrants.
“The rise in illegal IPTV operators using modified Firesticks to unlawfully access premium content is a growing concern. This not only infringes upon copyright laws but deprives content creators and distributors of their rightful earnings and disrupts the economic balance of the creative industry.
“FACT and our partners are steadfast in our commitment to disrupt these criminal operations. This is just the start of our enforcement efforts, with more actions planned.”
With the advent of easy-to-use streaming services, like Netflix and Spotify, piracy rates slumped. But with the spiralling number of services required to watch the most popular shows and subscription prices steadily increasing, the cost of living crisis has seen many individuals hunt for cheaper ways to access content.
This has proven to be a goldmine for those willing to sell so-called “dodgy” Fire TV sticks — devices loaded with premium shows, films, and football streams.
Sky TV has exclusive deals with a number of hit US shows from HBO, including House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Succession, Euphoria, Mare of Easttown, The Wire, and Game Of Thrones. It also commissions a huge number of its own shows, like the award-winning comedy Brassic, I Hate Suzie, and Chernobyl.
It also has the rights to hundreds of Premier League and English Football League games, which will be broadcast as part of a rebooted Sky Sports+ service in the coming months. Sky Cinema offers early access to Hollywood movies as well as Vue cinema tickets each month.
Matt Hibbert, who serves as Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky TV, added: “The action taken by FACT, police and Sky across the country sends a strong message to those involved in illegal streaming operations that they will be identified, and they will face consequences.
“We are very grateful to our partners for this latest wave of enforcement, and we will continue to work together to protect consumers from the risks of illegal streams. To this end, Sky proudly supports educational campaigns, including BeStreamWise.com, which highlights the risks of piracy and directs consumers to safe ways to enjoy the content they love.”
Earlier this year, GB News revealed that Chat-GPT could offer advice for those looking to leverage Fire TV Stick devices to watch Sky TV content for free.