Football fans who watch matches on IPTV and dodgy boxes sent major warning in new clampdown

English football fans are required to pay for several subscriptions to be able to watch all the elite fixtures on the club calendar.

From watching the Premier League on the broadcasters Sky Sports and TNT Sports in the United Kingdom, this can have a serious monthly cost to fans, and in 2027, when Paramount+ starts their deal with the Champions League, this could cost individuals more than £1,350 each year to watch games on TV.

Due to this, many supporters have turned to IPTV and dodgy boxes to be able to watch the fixtures at a cheaper price.

Broadcasters are keen to stamp this practice out as they will be losing money after signing huge deals to get the rights to show the competitions, while the Premier League is also keen to stamp it out.

Now a fresh warning has been given to users of dodgy Fire Sticks and illegal TV boxes after five individuals were ordered to pay £3.75 million or face years more in prison.

The police raided an organised operation providing people with the illegal means of watching sports back in 2021, with the leader, Mark Gould, sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United speaks to TNT presenter Lynsey Hipgrave, former players Joe Cole and Joleon Lescott who are presenting for TNT Sports prior to the Premier League match (Getty Images)

Derby Crown Court ordered Gould and four others in the operation to give back the profits generated from their crimes this week.

The court have sought a total of £3.75m, with Gould told to pay £2.35m of this total figure within the next three months or face another decade in prison.

It has prompted fresh warnings against those thinking of committing similar crimes, hoping that these sentences may act as a deterrent, as they look to clampdown on those using dodgy boxes.

The Premier League director of legal, Stefan Sergot, told the BBC: “These confiscation proceedings demonstrate our determination to ensure those involved in providing illegal streaming services do not retain the profits from their criminal activity.

“The sentences handed down, and the funds confiscated in these proceedings, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes.”

There are not any official figures for the number of people using 'dodgy' Fire Sticks in the UK, and those caught guilty of using them face criminal charges under Section 11 of the 2006 Fraud Act.

Anyone found guilty of such an offence could be fined heavily or face a prison sentence of up to five years.