PREMIER League fans looking for an illegal free stream of Tottenham vs Arsenal will be greeted with an unwanted surprised this weekend.
Sky-backed BeStreamWise has devised a hilarious trick to deter users – but it also comes with a serious warning.
Those asking around for illegal free streams on X and Reddit will be messaged back by another user with what they think is a link to the match.
But instead they’ll be greeted with live footage of a local water stream, along with commentary from a comedian.
The initiative has been arranged for the high profile north London derby, renowned for being one of the highest scoring games in the top division and famous for the long-standing rivalry between its clubs.
There is also a serious message to football fans too, with illegal streams usually hosted on dodgy websites.
The page will highlight the dangers of piracy to people, such as identity theft and fraud.
“Illegal streaming poses a serious threat and can expose consumers to identity theft, fraud, and malicious software,” said Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky.
“This campaign protects fans by redirecting them away from malicious streaming sites, highlighting the dangers of clicking unknown links and educating consumers on the risks involved in digital piracy.
“Through our collaboration with BeStreamWise, we want to ensure that football fans continue to enjoy the sport they love without compromising their personal security.”
The move comes amid a spate of action targeting those facilitating illegal streams this year.
Two brothers were sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison for running an illegal streaming ring that allegedly gave thousands of households cheap access to premium services.
And just two weeks ago one of the world’s biggest illegal movie streaming sites, Fmovies, was shut down.
BeStreamWise is a cross-body initiative supported by FACT, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Crimestoppers, British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), Sky, Premier League, and ITV.
Miles Rees, Deputy Director of Enforcement at The Intellectual Property Office’s said: “Piracy is anything but a victimless crime.
“It has clear links to other harmful activities and materials online, actively sustaining serious and organised crime networks while diverting funds away from the sporting occasions we all enjoy.”
Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT added: “We want to ensure that everyone can enjoy the excitement of the Spurs vs Arsenal match safely and legally.”
When an Amazon Fire Stick is ‘jailbroken’, it means a third-party media server software has been installed on it.
The software most commonly used on Fire Sticks is called Kodi.
It can grant users unrestricted access to new features and apps the normal version of the device wouldn’t allow – but it is not legal to use in the UK.
The government outlined in 2017 that adapted Amazon Fire sticks and so-called ‘Kodi’ TV boxes were illegal.
This is because they breach intellectual property laws in not paying for the media content being watched.
“These devices are legal when used to watch legitimate, free to air, content,” the government said at the time.
“They become illegal once they are adapted to stream illicit content, for example TV programmes, films and subscription sports channels without paying the appropriate subscriptions.”
If users are watching content that would usually be free, however, then they would not be breaking any laws.
