Overview
- Amazon confirmed it is blocking apps identified as enabling pirated streams on Fire TV, including those sideloaded outside the Appstore, with the rollout already live in France and Germany and expanding globally in the coming weeks.
- The new Fire TV Stick 4K Select runs VegaOS, which prevents sideloading and restricts downloads to the Amazon Appstore to shut off a common path for illegal streaming apps.
- UK police, FACT and partners reported raids, legal notices and prosecutions across multiple regions in the UK and Ireland, with FACT also conducting home “knock and talk” visits to order suspected users and sellers to stop.
- Industry and campaign research cited by The Athletic and YouGov suggests about 4.7 million adults in the UK have watched illegal streams, underscoring the scale of the market targeted by the crackdown.
- Authorities and campaigners warn of consumer harms linked to modified devices and pirate apps, with BeStreamWise reporting 40% of surveyed illegal streamers suffered fraud, averaging £1,680 in losses and sometimes exceeding £7,500.