Four people arrested as Sky continues ‘crackdown’ on illegal streaming

Four more people have been arrested in the UK as Sky continues its 'crackdown' on illegal streaming services.

Football fans in particular have sought out often illegal methods of watching live sport in recent years, as the subscription fees of the various services continue to soar.

Watching the various Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League fixtures throughout the season could set back stay-at-home fans close to £1,300 a year, which is why picking a nice non-league club is always a better way to spend your Saturday afternoons.

So, it's perhaps unsurprising that cost-cutting fans are turning towards 'dodgy' fire sticks as a way of enjoying the games without breaking the bank, but it remains highly illegal.

Police and big corporations such as Sky have already vowed to team up to bring an end to illegal streaming, with the focus currently on those who help to supply the illegal streams.

Last week in Manchester, four arrests were made by officers, while 10 servers and their associated equipment - thought to be worth around £750k - were also seized.

The 3pm football blackout has also pushed some fans towards illegal streams (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Detective Constable Jordan Day, of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, said: “Criminals continue to provide illegal IPTV streaming services to consumers. These services are not harmless alternatives; they are examples of organised criminal operations generating millions in illegal profits.

"It is more important than ever that our team works to protect the integrity of broadcasting and the millions of people who rely on it.

"This operation demonstrates the impact we can have when we work closely with partners like Sky to dismantle these illegal networks, sending a clear message to those who profit from piracy that they will be held to account.”

One of the servers that was seized by police (City of London Police)

Police revealed that one of the individuals arrested is thought to have brought in more than £3 million in revenue after operating an illegal IPTV service that supplied millions of consumers across the UK.

Sky isn't alone in this crackdown, with the BBC also focused on an investigation into TV licenses. Around £550m in revenue between 2024 and 2025 is thought to have been lost due to people avoiding paying it.

Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky said: “We thank the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit for taking decisive action against a major pirate operation.

"We take the protection of our content extremely seriously given the significant investment we make and will continue to work with the police and industry partners to disrupt the criminal networks behind piracy.

Fire sticks have long been utilised to enjoy illegal streams (Getty Stock)

“People who watch illegal streams should know that it isn’t a victimless crime: recent research by BeStreamWise advise that nearly 65% of illegal streamers have faced security scares like malware through these unlawful methods. This action will help keep consumers, their devices and their personal data safe.”

It's not just people supplying the streams who could face fines or even jail time, with Sky also issuing a £50k warning to anyone who's accessing their content without a paid subscription.