Illegal Premier League streamers issued urgent warning as IPTV users face 'automatic fine' of £4,200 in new crackdown
Another warning has been issued to IPTV users who utilise the service to stream Premier League football.
With it costing an absolute fortune to watch football on multiple channels like Sky Sports and TNT Sports, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) has become a popular method.
Remarkably, according to a YouGov poll conducted last year, one in 10 Britons admitted to using illicit means to watch the biggest sports events.
IPTV is often loaded onto jailbroken Amazon Fire Sticks to provide access to live sports from around the world, as well as TV shows and movies.
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Users typically pay a monthly or yearly fee for the service - but unauthorised streams are in breach of copyright law and are illegal.
Authorities have gone after those supplying the services and secured hefty prison sentences - with a man in Greece required to spend eight years behind bars.
That followed a pair of brothers being sentenced to a combined total of 11 years for similar offences in August.
However there is now a real push to take down those who are using the services and streaming content illegally.
Ahead of the new season, it was confirmed that the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) had been working alongside Sky and police forces in the UK to crack down.
And over in Italy they are not messing about, with Serie A chief Luigi De Siervo stating automatic fines of €5000 (£4,200) will be handed out.
Speaking on a YouTube broadcast, he said that "every illegal use of video content leaves an indelible digital Ariadne’s thread that will allow law enforcement to prosecute pirates".
De Siervo added that, "No one can think of continuing to steal content illegally and get away with it.
He described the proposed action as a "fundamental step in the fight against piracy".
The Authority for the Guarantee of Communications in Italy (AGCOM) are working on new methods whereby they can communicate information relating to individuals watching sport illegally on "dodgy" boxes.
Italy have already been ahead of the curve by introducing a Piracy Shield system - designed to block IP addresses and illegal websites.
Topics: Premier League, IPTV
Josh Lawless