Fans illegally streaming Premier League football matches have been warned by a new anti-piracy programme after several viewers were allegedly “intercepted” ahead of last weekend’s north London derby.
Be Smarter on StreamingA multi-agency initiative partnering with Sky, the Premier League, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and Crimestoppers UK, created an experiment to showcase the dangers of illegal streaming.
The organization says it invited members of the public to sign up for a free streaming service that provided access to TV, movie and sports content, but required them to provide their personal information.
Participants were then alerted that the service was not a legitimate streaming platform.
BeStreamWise states: ‘Giving away personal data and visiting unknown links are two tactics that allow criminals and hackers to attack and gain control of devices and networks.’
An anti-piracy agency has issued a stern warning to Premier League football fans after “intercepting” several spectators ahead of the north London derby.
BeStreamWise launched an experiment to show the dangers of illegal streaming ahead of Sunday’s match
The intellectual property protection agency FACT says there has been an increase in illegal streaming over the past year
The organisation adds that one in three illegal streamers in the UK say they or someone they know has been a victim of some form of fraud or scam.
In August, two brothers, Amir Butt and Ammar Hussain, were sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison for operating an illegal streaming service. The pair had been convicted of conspiracy to defraud over a seven-year period between August 2012 and March 2019 and had sold annual subscriptions, giving people access to a range of sporting and entertainment content in a £200 package.
His illegal activity came to light through the intellectual property protection agency FACT, which referred his activity to Sky.
“FACT has always been committed to protecting the rights of content creators and ensuring online safety,” said FACT CEO Kieron Sharp.
‘BeStreamWise is an essential educational platform focused on raising awareness about the dangers of illegal streaming and we are proud to be a partner in this important industry initiative.’
Matt Hibbert, UK Director of Anti-Piracy and ROI at Sky, added: ‘We are proud to support the launch of BeStreamWise.com alongside our industry peers.
‘We are seeing increasing evidence of links between those involved in the operation of illegal streaming services and organised crime, and this initiative aims to raise public awareness of the risks of piracy, empowering audiences to protect themselves while enjoying the content they love.’
Earlier this year, Mail Sport revealed that 20 million people illegally streamed Oleksandr Usyk’s historic and undisputed heavyweight victory over Tyson Fury.
Gabriel’s second-half goal helped Arsenal seal a 1-0 win against north London rivals Tottenham.
Broadcasters are estimated to have lost around £95m in revenue after 20 million people illegally streamed Oleksandr Usyk’s (left) vs Tyson Fury (right) fight earlier this year.
The use of illegal broadcasts is estimated to have cost television rights holders around £95m in lost revenue.
Police and government officials have been seeking to crack down on illegal streaming services over the past year, with broadcasters and sports organisations losing large sums of money due to lost revenue.
In July, three men were arrested as part of efforts to crack down on the use of “illegal Amazon Firesticks”; FACT detailed that there has been a rise in the number of users choosing to use a Firestick to watch content illegally.
Miles Rees, Deputy Director of Intellectual Property Enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office, said: “The creative industries support around two million jobs in the UK and contribute tens of billions to our economy every year. Piracy diverts funds from these industries into the hands of criminals, at the expense of the TV shows, films and sporting events we all enjoy. Pirated content is often linked to other harmful content and activity online, undermining consumer confidence and helping to sustain serious and organised crime.
‘Consumers should be able to make informed decisions through increased awareness and understanding of the risks of accessing pirated content and the harm this can cause to society and communities.
‘We are pleased to support the continued work of our partners in industry and law enforcement to raise awareness of the harms of piracy, helping to dismantle criminal networks and empower consumers to make informed decisions.’