Football fans who illegally watch the Premier League have been sent a stark warning after a British man was handed a lengthy prison sentence for using and selling access to illicit streams.
The increase in the use of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) technology in recent years has led to a rise in illegal streaming in the UK.
Illicit IPTV streaming, often accessed through jailbroken Amazon Firesticks, is a criminal offence and leaves users open to both security risks and potential legal action.
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But despite those risks, one in 10 Britons has admitted to using illegal means to watch sport - according to a YouGov poll conducted last year.
The Premier League has issued repeated warnings to fans to not watch the league through such streams.
Now, a 29-year-old man from Liverpool has been handed a custodial sentence as a result of loading and watching illicit streams on Firesticks.
Jonathan Edge, 29, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison. This includes a separate concurrent sentence of two years and three months for accessing and viewing the content he was supplying.
He pleaded guilty to three offences under the Fraud Act and was remanded in custody at the end of October, with his sentence handed down on Tuesday at Liverpool Crown Court.
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The prosecution was undertaken by the Premier League and supported by several organisations, including the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and Merseyside Police.
According to a statement released by the Premier League, Edge relied on advertising his illegal service through Facebook posts and word-of-mouth recommendations.
He uploaded illegal services on to Firestick devices in return for cash-in-hand payments. Crucially, his own use of the unauthorised service was treated as a distinct crime in itself.
Edge was eventually prosecuted after ignoring multiple warnings to stop, which was later treated as an aggravating factor towards his sentence.
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Kevin Plumb, Premier League General Counsel, said: "The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions and we thank Merseyside Police for their support throughout the case.
"We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.
"The selling of broadcast rights supports the Premier League's industry-leading financial contribution to the whole football pyramid and we're pleased that the courts have once again recognised the importance of safeguarding these rights with the outcome of this case.
"No matter the scale, we will continue to protect these rights by carrying out investigations and prosecuting illegal operators at every level."
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Keiron Sharp, CEO of FACT, added: "FACT are committed to investigating and acting against IP crime. Offenders should be aware that regardless of their level of operation or advertising methods, including word-of-mouth or platforms like Facebook, creating an illegal business for the purposes of selling stolen content to others will be investigated by the police, resulting in sentences such as the one given today.
"We thank Merseyside Police for their collaboration in this case. Piracy is a crime and we will continue to work with law enforcement to protect our members' content and ensure that offenders face the consequences of their criminal actions."
Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Steve Frame from Merseyside Police added: "Merseyside Police is committed to working in collaboration to investigate intellectual property theft and we welcome today's sentence handed to Edge.
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"Many people see no harm in illegally streaming TV services but they are wrong, and this outcome should serve as a further warning how seriously such copyright theft continues to be taken."
Topics: Premier League, IPTV, Football
Rory O'Callaghan