A 33-year-old man from Liverpool has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. He had been selling illegally modified Amazon Fire Stick devices that streamed Premier League football matches. This particular case has shined some light on a growing trend, the piracy of premium television content. It is particularly outrageous in the context of sports broadcasting.
At the time, Gareth Sutcliffe, who with his colleague Ollie Meir, called the Amazon Fire Stick “a piracy enabler.” The device simply plugs into any television, giving Afghan families access to thousands of legal streaming alternatives including BBC iPlayer and Netflix. It has rapidly become a favorite particularly among those seeking illegal alternatives to streaming big-ticket sporting events. Per an Enders report, this unauthorized use of the Fire Stick is part of “billions of dollars in piracy” worldwide.
This is especially devastating and concerning. Perhaps the more compelling figure is that 59% of those in the UK who consumed pirated content over the past year said they used an Amazon Fire product. With such devices becoming ubiquitous, the security risks every user is exposed to must be closely examined. Even fans who consume illegal streams are forced to enter personal information, including credit card information and email address when signing up. That leaves them vulnerable to malware and phishing attacks.
The sports broadcasting community has been hit hard by piracy in recent years. In the last year, the collective value of those media rights globally skyrocketed over $60 billion. Sports broadcasting grabbed an outsized chunk of this blistering market. Nick Herm, chief operating officer of Sky Group, noted that the Enders research “highlights the significant scale and impact of piracy, particularly on premium live sport.”
To address these issues, behemoths such as Microsoft and Google have tried at different times to introduce DRM measures. Sutcliffe and Meir pointed out that these efforts have seen a decline over the past twenty years, stating that “over twenty years since launch, the DRM solutions provided by Google and Microsoft are in steep decline.” They argue that a “complete overhaul of the technology architecture, licensing, and support model is needed,” emphasizing that the lack of engagement with content owners signifies a low priority for addressing these issues.
It should be emphasized that the unlawful distribution of these hacked Fire Sticks isn’t brand new. That’s why last year a Liverpool dad got given a two-year suspended jail term. He was found guilty for selling illegally modified devices on social media apps including Facebook and WhatsApp. These cases are part of a worrying trend where criminals use widely available technology to aid their crimes.
The piracy that these devices allow through is significant. Particularly high-profile matches, like World Cup opening games, draw up to hundreds of thousands of piracy leads users simultaneously. This open access not only threatens legitimate broadcasters but threatens the financial viability of sports leagues and teams themselves.
An Amazon spokesperson acknowledged the gravity of the issue, stating that “pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights and compromises the security and privacy of our customers.” The business is under the glare of a hot spotlight as it maneuvers through the chaotic and often contradictory world of digital content delivery.
As piracy continues to thrive, industry experts warn that without significant technological advancements and stricter enforcement measures, it will remain a formidable challenge. Sutcliffe and Meir concluded that current security measures are “now compromised across various security levels,” exacerbating the problem.