Report shows premium live sports content is being pirated at 'industrial' scales
A recent Enders Analysis report reveals that live sports and premium TV are now being pirated on an “industrial scale.” Distributors use jailbroken streaming devices—such as modified Amazon Fire Sticks loaded with unauthorized IPTV apps—to illegally stream high-profile events like Premier League football to tens of thousands of viewers. These feeds are often shared across social media, which amplifies their reach .
Big tech companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta) have been criticized for “ambivalence and inertia,” with their platforms inadvertently facilitating piracy. DRM systems like Microsoft’s PlayReady and Google’s Widevine are also deteriorating due to neglect—making it easier to access premium streams illegally .
Consumers are taking advantage of these low-cost hacks—59% of UK users admit to using a Fire device to access pirated content. This massive scale of theft threatens broadcasters’ revenue and undermines their ability to secure rights, costing them billions globally .
The report calls for robust action: big tech must overhaul device architectures, strengthen DRM, and adopt proactive measures. Broadcasters have started using “war rooms” to shut down streams in real time, but tech firms’ insufficient cooperation means piracy remains a “formidable challenge” .
