4 Illegal Streamers Arrested in the UK as the Problem of Online Piracy Continues

• Online piracy has always been around. But lately, it's becoming a much bigger problem, forcing the UK authorities to turn their attention to it.
• As a result, in just a month, 4 people have been arrested out of which one has already received a sentence of 4 years and 9 months in prison.
• Kieron Sharp, CEO of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), said that these arrests are a warning and there will be severe consequences for piracy.

UK authorities have turned their attention to the growing problem of online piracy. As a result, several investigations have been conducted that led to 4 arrests this month alone.

Arrest #1

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

Arrest #2

Last week, a 40-year-old man by the name of Michael Hornung was arrested from Greater Manchester and sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for the promotion and sale of special set-top boxes that 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 illegal streaming operation which was first investigated by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Arrest #4

Similarly, earlier this month a 41-year-old man from Liverpool was given a two-year suspended sentence by the Merseyside Police Cyber Crime Unit after he pleaded guilty to charges of promoting and selling illegally modified Amazon Fire Sticks.

It basically means that users got access to premium movies, TV content, and even live football matches while Amazon didn't receive a dime from them.

These cases highlight the importance of protecting legitimate providers, as well as the significant impact that coordinated law enforcement efforts can have on combating digital piracy' - Kieron Sharp, CEO of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)

He said that they want to put out a message with these arrests that there will be consequences for piracy. If anyone is involved in the sale or distribution of content that they don't own or isn't licensed to them, they could face investigation and even conviction.

Why the Sudden Attention on Online Piracy?

Online piracy has always been around. But lately, owing to financial hardships, increasing subscription fees, and technological advancement, it's becoming a bigger problem.

Reports revealed that in 2023 alone, video piracy sites have been visited 141 billion times, which is a 12% increase from 2019.

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

Every year, approximately $75 billion is lost in revenue for media companies. While big corporations might be able to take this blow, small-time producers suffer the most.

Not just that, lost revenue also leads to fewer job opportunities in the field. In short, almost everyone involved in the entertainment industry will suffer if online piracy continues to grow at this pace.

Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney have also cracked down on password sharing, in a bid to drive up subscribers and revenue. Netflix saw a small but steady 6% growth in revenue during the March 2024 quarter as compared to the Dec 2023 one. Disney is also close to becoming profitable and has cut down on losses.

The UK authorities' aggression towards piracy will help these streaming platforms win back customers and churn out profits.

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