The crackdown on streaming sports and movies illegally continues with the latest arrests blocking thousands from watching Sky content for a much cheaper price. Two brothers behind a subscription service that offered sports and entertainment content, for a flat yearly fee, are now facing a total of 11 years in jail. Thousands of UK homes are thought to have paid the pair around £200 a year to get full access to premium content with it netting Amir Butt and Ammar Hussain more than £1 million.
Although £200 sounds expensive, it’s far less than a standard Sky subscription (around £50/£60 per month) which is why it appeared so enticing – the streams have since been blocked.
Trading under the names, Tech & Sat Ltd. Techsat and Tech + Sat, the fraudulent operation was run from Butt’s home on Grange Road, Ilford and a shop on Cranbrook Road, Ilford.
Their illegal exploits came to the attention of Sky through the intellectual property protection organisation, FACT
During the arrests, cash and a substantial amount of equipment, including Sky set-top boxes and viewing cards, were seized from addresses for further forensic analysis.
With the recent cost of living crisis continuing to impact millions across the UK it might not come as a huge surprise to discover that people are trying to find cheaper ways to tune into premium TV.
Illegal streams continue to be a tempting money-saving option with many offering access to platforms such as Sky Sports and Sky Cinema at vastly reduced costs.
Speaking about the latest convictions, Kieron Sharp CEO FACT said, “This was a lengthy and thorough investigation which required the attention of FACT, Sky, Trading Standards and the police to produce the physical and digital evidence needed to prosecute the offenders. This verdict is both a punishment to the two men committing these criminal acts and a deterrent to others who are engaged in similar activities.
“Piracy is a crime that weakens the creative industries, reduces opportunities for producing future content, and puts significant profits into the hands of criminals. It is not a victimless crime.
“FACT remain dedicated to collaborating with our partners to combat IP crime and protect the rights of content creators and owners.”
And Matt Hibbert, Sky’s Group Director of Anti-Piracy added: “Today’s sentencing highlights the significant consequences for those that get involved in illegally streaming content.
“We are grateful to FACT and to London Borough of Redbridge Trading Standards for their assistance in tackling what was a brazen illegal streaming operation.
“We will continue to work with partners and law enforcement to protect our content and help keep consumers safe from criminal piracy networks.”
This latest crackdown comes after a 42-year-old man was arrested in Nottingham after it was believed he was involved in the provision of illegal streams of Sky television content. Authorities seized computers, phones and other networking equipment that played a part in the illegal activity.
In Manchester, another man was also recently sentenced to four years and nine months in jail for advertising and selling specially configured television set-top boxes that give access to illegal streaming.
