Football fans who watch Premier League games through illegal streams have been warned that they are "exposing themselves to serious threats".

The use of Fire Sticks and other modified devices has increased in recent years due to a number of factors, including the rising subscription costs which are linked to rights holders such as Sky Sports and TNT Sports.

Almost five million people in the UK consumed illegal sports coverage over the past six months alone, but the Premier League and others are trying to make a stand.

In fact, the Premier League shut down or blocked a combined 660,000 social media and website live streams last season, according to The Athletic, who have teamed up with research company YouGov Sport to investigate the subject further.

One of the big findings was that nine per cent of the UK’s adult population had watched sport through an illegal stream in the six months up to October 2025.

The cost of watching live sport has increased dramatically in recent years. Image credit: Getty

The Premier League, meanwhile, has sent a stark warning to those who break the rules. “Those who choose to consume Premier League matches through illegal streams risk more than just poor viewing quality,” a spokesperson from the league said.

“They expose themselves to serious threats, including malicious viruses that can steal personal data, hijack devices and lead to identity theft and financial fraud. Investigations and prosecutions have also repeatedly uncovered the links between piracy operations and wider serious criminal activity.”

As mentioned above, the cost of watching live sport has increased dramatically in recent years, with some fans turning to IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services to tune in to football and beyond.

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 in news that will be welcomed by the Premier League and others, tech giant Amazon have made a potentially significant change that could spell the end of illegal streaming through its popular Fire Stick product.

Major Fire Stick and IPTV change may block illegal streaming for good

Last month, 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.