The use of an Amazon Fire TV Stick to illegally stream football matches during the 2024/25 season could result in a major punishment.
The Fire TV sticks have emerged as a popular alternative to watch modern day football, with prices of subscriptions to the likes of Sky Sports and TNT Sports continuing to rise.
They give viewers access to thousands of films, TV shows and documentaries.
But people have made significant amounts of money from loading the devices with programmes from the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.
Doing so, however, is a breach of copyright law and is therefore illegal – and people who stream through the Fire Stick via alternative platforms are also in breach.
Prior to the 2024/25 Premier League season getting underway, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT UK) confirmed that they would be clamping down on those planning to use the Fire TV Stick to stream copyright football content.
FACT UK works with the Premier League to protect its copyright.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “FACT constantly monitors the digital landscape to combat illegal streaming activities in the UK and Ireland.
“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 we have seen a significant increase in the number of reports directly linked to Fire Sticks and illegal streaming.”
The Fraud Act 2006 states that it is an illegal offence to watch TV or streaming services with paying the required fee to do so.
Section 11 of the Act states that this covers ‘obtaining services dishonestly knowing the services are made available on the basis that payment has been, is being or will be made for or in respect of them or that they might be; and avoids or intends to avoid payment in full or in part’.
Possible punishments for breaching the law include a prison sentence, although its severity depends on the type of conviction.
If a person receives a summary conviction, they could face up to 12 months in prison. However, more serious cases could carry a maximum sentence of five years.
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