Police compare Brits who stream Sky TV illegally to organised criminals

Police have warned people who illegally stream Sky TV that they are paying for ‘organised crime‘ – a month after cracking down on a streaming service in a series of raids.

Police raided homes in London, Stoke, Glasgow and Edinburgh to shut down a service allegedly selling Internet Protocol TV devices (IPTV) – which can be used to access content illegally, including sports streams and films.

It’s thought the service had up to 50,000 users and police seized computer equipment, laptops and mobile phones from all four locations. 

Four people have since been arrested in connection with the raids.

One has been charged with intellectual property theft, and the other three have been released.

Illegal streaming of sports and movie channels has been linked to organised crime

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Sky TV worked with police forces during the crackdown on pirate streaming services

‘Cease and desist’ notices have been sent to 200 people suspected to be involved in similar schemes. 

Sky TV has been supportive of police action and has worked with the authorities to cut out pirate streamers. 

Legitimate streaming services can cost as much as £80 a month – substantially more than the £10 charged by the pirates at the centre of the police raid. 

The actual technology used in IPTV is legal and the boxes used to access the signals were originally designed to allow consumers to stream legitimate content to their TV via a broadband connection. 

However, there is software available, the most widely known being Kodi, which, when installed with illicit add-ons, allows the user to access illegal content through streaming websites, Trading Standards Scotland says.

By configuring the boxes in this way, the consumer can easily access illicit websites that allow access to subscription TV, Premier League football, films and sports events for the one-off price of a box.

Matt Hibbert, director of anti-piracy at Sky, said: ‘We will continue to support these efforts to shut down these pirate networks and help protect customers.’ 

Detective Inspector Andy Maclean, of Police Scotland’s Cyber Investigation Department, said: ‘Anyone tempted to purchase one of these IPTV services should be aware that their money is going towards a fraudulent scheme, and they might well find themselves having a visit from police or other authorities.

‘Money from such activities are often used to fund other crime, so people need to be aware of that.

‘This is, without doubt, a form of organised crime.’