Major Fire Stick and IPTV Change is Set to Block Illegal Football Streaming For Good

Amazon have made a statement of intent by launching a new Fire TV Stick that could spell the end for illegal streaming of Premier League fixtures and other major sporting events.

The cost of watching live sport has increased dramatically in recent years and as a result, some fans have turned to IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services to tune in to football and beyond.

IPTV, which typically has a monthly or yearly subscription, is often loaded onto jailbroken Amazon Fire Sticks or so-called "dodgy" boxes and includes various feeds to games, including 3pm fixtures which cannot be broadcast live in the UK.

Despite countless raids, arrests and warnings by anti-piracy group Federation Against Copyright Theft, people are continuing to stream live sporting events without forking out.

But it appears tech giant Amazon have made a potentially significant change that could spell the end of illegal streaming through its popular Fire Stick product.

An image of the Fire TV Stick 4K on screen during Amazon's product event in New York last month. Image credit: Getty

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Last week, the company unveiled its Fire TV Stick 4K Select to consumers – a new device that will use an operating system called Vega OS, a huge breakaway from the previous open Android system.

In fact, modified Android apps which power so-called ‘dodgy Firesticks’ will no longer work on the device, according to James Bore, a cybersecurity expert.

"It’s going to cause a problem for the people who create these apps," he told Metro.

In short, the new stick prevents certain apps from being sideloaded.

Sideloading is when a person uploads software onto a device outside of the official app store, which is how users are able to access films, TV shows and sporting events without officially buying them.

However, under the new technology unveiled by Amazon, it will simply no longer be possible. "For enhanced security, only apps from the Amazon Appstore on Fire TV are available for download," Amazon said.

Bore also mentions that developers working with the new device will have to go through Amazon’s store review to get certain permissions.

Another image of the new Fire TV Stick 4K device. Image credit: Getty

For the time being, these changes will only apply to the new model, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, but it does suggest that Amazon may ditch Android in the future and continue to use Vega OS.

The new model, however, is unlikely to spell the end of illegal streaming forever as hackers develop other methods to continue profiting from people watching content illegally.

"There is no way this is actually going to stop illegal streaming," Bore added. "People are just going to switch to non-Amazon devices, as this will only prevent those specific devices from being used for illegal streaming."