With bills continuing to rise and homes under increased financial pressure it’s not surprising that consumers are looking for ways to cut down their monthly outgoings. One very attractive option – that appears to be growing in popularity – is the use of adapted devices, such as Fire TV Sticks, to tune into premium content without paying the high monthly fees.
Some of these modified streaming gadgets can even be purchased for a reasonably cheap price online and offer full access to things such as Sky Sports and movies. It’s a growing problem for content providers with a recent survey confirming that around 19 percent of people asked had illegally streamed content over a three month period.
With so many people starting to switch to illegal streams a fresh warning has just been issued in a bid to crackdown on the practice.
Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT UK) has confirmed that it’s starting to send out cease and desist letters and even showing up on the doorsteps of consumers thought to be watching shows, movies and sporting action without paying.
FACT says that it is using a partnership with Crimestoppers to help boost the number of people it catches watching content illegally.
“FACT constantly monitors the digital landscape to combat illegal streaming activities in the UK and Ireland,” a spokesperson said.
“We utilise a range of methods to identify individuals engaged in unauthorised businesses that offer access to illegal streams. One of these methods is through our partnership with Crimestoppers to make it as easy as possible to report illegal streaming, and over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the number of reports directly linked to Fire Sticks and illegal streaming.
“These reports are then investigated by our Intelligence Unit, and followed up with a rolling programme of action which includes issuing ‘Cease and Desist’ letters and conducting nationwide ‘Knock and Talks’.
“These home visits, undertaken in conjunction with law enforcement, serve to inform individuals about their activities and the immediate need to cease and desist or face further action or prosecution.
“We also work In close collaboration with law enforcement to gather further evidence to actively pursue legal actions against these criminal entities.”
If you are using a Fire TV Stick to watch free sports and movies it might be time to stop or you could face more than you bargained for.
This latest alert comes after the launch of a new campaign aimed at highlighting the risks of streaming without permission.
BeStreamWise has been formed in partnership with key bodies across the sports, film, and TV industry – including FACT, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Crimestoppers, British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), Sky, Premier League, and ITV.
Its sole aim is to help UK homes understand that watching content illegally can end up leaving them with harmful viruses on their PCs and personal data, including bank details, in the hands of crooks.
