Crackdown Areas as New Amazon Fire Sticks Threaten to End Football Streaming

Several areas will reportedly be the subject of crackdowns regarding the illegal streaming of Premier League football as Amazon prepares for a significant change.

The cost of watching live sports has become unaffordable for many fans in recent years.

To be able to watch Premier League and Champions League football legally in the United Kingdom, people currently have to fork out hundreds of pounds per year on Sky Sports and TNT Sports subscriptions.

If you like boxing, you may also choose to pay for the global streaming platform DAZN. The list of platforms which broadcast live sports seems to be getting longer, and with it come huge costs.

As a result of the cost implications, some fans have turned to Internet Protocol Television Service (IPTV) to avoid the financial burden.

IPTV is usually downloaded onto a jailbroken Amazon Fire TV Stick – or ‘dodgy’ box as they are widely referred to – allowing users to stream 3 pm fixtures which cannot be broadcast live due to the ‘3 pm blackout’ rule preventing matches between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays being shown in the UK.

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Amazon Fire Stick (Credit:Getty)

Due to the rise in popularity of the illegal streaming devices, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) has carried out a number of arrests and sent warnings to those facilitating the use of the IPTV devices.

Now, it appears that Amazon could have a hand in ending the illegal streaming of Premier League football and other entertainment.

Last week, the company unveiled its Fire TV Stick 4K Select, which will use an operating system called Vega OS rather than the previous Android system.

And according to a cybersecurity expert, James Bore, doctored Android apps will no longer work on the device.

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

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

Sideloading is when a user uploads software onto a device outside of the official app stores, allowing users access to films, TV shows and sporting events without actually buying them.

"For enhanced security, only apps from the Amazon Appstore on Fire TV are available for download," Amazon said.

Regions in the FACT crackdown

In a statement to LADbible, the Chairman of FACT, Kieron Sharp, explained how the body and the police are constantly reviewing new “intelligence” to target a number of areas in the UK.

Sharp said: “FACT’s enforcement activities against illegal streaming are ongoing throughout the year. Together with our partners and the police, we constantly review new intelligence and target those areas of the UK and Ireland where the data shows that illegal streaming activity is taking place.

"Our investigations are thorough, and we are relentless in our determination to stop illegal streaming and bring offenders to justice. To avoid jeopardising operations that are in progress, we do not share details publicly until enforcement action has been completed.”

Full list of regions across the UK under crackdown:

· London

· Kent

· Sussex

· Norfolk

· Northamptonshire

· Lincolnshire

· Staffordshire

· East and West Midlands

· Greater Manchester

· Cheshire

· Merseyside

· Northumbria

· North Yorkshire