4 illegal streamers arrested in UK as online piracy continues

British authorities have turned their attention to the growing problem of online piracy. As a result, several investigations were carried out which led to 4 arrests this month alone.

Arrest #1

One of the latest arrests took place in Nottingham when a 42-year-old man was taken into custody for provision of illegal streams of Sky television content.

Arrest #2

Last week, a 40-year-old man named Michael Hornung was arrested in Greater Manchester and sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for promotion and sale of special decoders which gave viewers access to pirated streaming content.

Arrest #3

Another 52-year-old man was also under arrest in Stockton-on-Tees. He was allegedly involved in a separate case illegal streaming operation which was initially investigated by the North East Regional Organized Crime Unit.

Arrest #4

Similarly, earlier this month a 41-year-old man from Liverpool was given a two-year suspended prison sentence by Merseyside Police's cybercrime unit after pleading guilty to charges of promote and sell illegally modified Amazon Fire Sticks.

This basically means that users got access to premium movies, TV content, and even live football matches while Amazon didn't get a single cent from them.

“These cases highlight the importance of protecting legitimate providers, as well as the significant impact that coordinated law enforcement efforts can have in the fight against digital piracy” – Kieron Sharp, CEO of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)

He said they wanted to send a message with these arrests: there will be consequences for hacking. If someone is involved in selling or distributing content that they do not own or license, they could be subject to investigation and even conviction.

Why this sudden attention to online piracy?

Online piracy has always existed. But lately, due to financial difficulties, increasing subscription fees and technological advancements, the problem is becoming more and more serious.

And while it may make life easier for some people, it's it's not fair to the original creators and content owners.

Each year, approximately $75 billion in lost revenue for media companies. Although large companies could take this hit, it is small producers who will suffer the most.

Additionally, loss of income also leads to fewer job opportunities in this field. In short, almost everyone involved in the entertainment industry will suffer if online piracy continues to grow at this rate.

Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney have also cracked down on password sharing, aiming to increase subscriber numbers and revenue. Netflix saw a slight but steady growth of 6% in revenue in the March 2024 quarter compared to the December 2023 quarter. Disney is also about to become profitable and reduced losses.

The aggressiveness of the British authorities against piracy will help these streaming platforms win back their customers and generate profits.