FACT HIGHLIGHTS SUMMER CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL STREAMING

UK anti-piracy organisation FACT says enforcement activity over the summer has resulted in prison sentences, arrests and financial penalties against operators and users of illegal streaming services, with three recent cases involving around £1.4 million in revenue.

The largest involved Milan Ibrahim, 68, from Lancashire, who was sentenced in August to six-and-a-half years in prison after generating almost £1 million over three years from an illegal television streaming operation.

The service, initially identified by FACT and referred to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), supplied customers in the UK and overseas, including British expatriates. A City of London Police investigation resulted in 80 streaming servers in Chorley being seized and shut down.

Content from the BBC, ITV, Sky and the Premier League was among that redistributed without authorisation.

A separate investigation begun by FACT in January 2023 identified Craig Austin, 38, of Whiston, Merseyside, as being behind a service selling unauthorised premium television subscriptions.

Austin had operated the service for more than five years and generated £205,000. FACT referred its findings to Merseyside Police in April 2025 and a warrant was executed four months later.

Austin pleaded guilty to fraud-related offences and possession of criminal property. He received a 32-month sentence, suspended for three years, together with 150 hours of unpaid work and rehabilitation activities.

In a third case, Michael Barrow was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to three years and two months in prison after pleading guilty to three fraud offences.

Barrow continued selling illegal IPTV subscriptions and pre-loaded Fire TV sticks despite receiving a cease-and-desist notice in 2021. His service reached almost 2,000 customers and generated more than £200,000.

The prosecution was brought by the Premier League with support from FACT and the TARIAN Regional Organised Crime Unit’s Economic Crime Team.

Collectively, the three operations generated around £1.4 million.

The cases come amid continued efforts by broadcasters, sports rights holders and law enforcement agencies to disrupt the supply of pirate IPTV services rather than concentrating solely on blocking individual streams.

Research from WPI Economics commissioned by BeStreamWise estimates piracy involving sport, film and television costs the UK economy at least £1.35 billion in lost revenue annually, which it equates to 10,400 jobs.

FACT Investigations Manager Nick Sumner said the Austin case demonstrated how “intelligence-led investigations and close cooperation with law enforcement” could identify those operating illegal services and bring them before the courts.

Enforcement over the summer has extended beyond IPTV operators. FACT prosecutions involving pubs in Staffordshire and Wales resulted in licensees being ordered to pay more than £29,000 in combined fines and costs for illegally showing Sky Sports.

Investigations are also continuing in Merseyside, where four men were arrested on June 25 and 26 following intelligence-sharing between FACT and Merseyside Police. Six warrants were executed in an operation targeting suspected streaming services believed to have supplied thousands of customers.

FACT and Sky have meanwhile extended enforcement activity into Ireland. Ten suspected IPTV sellers across Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Galway, Laois and Limerick have been served with legal warnings following joint investigations.

Cease-and-desist notices were issued to individuals suspected of supplying unauthorised access to premium television, films and live sport. The campaign also warns users of pirate IPTV services that customer information obtained during investigations may be passed to authorities.

FACT says its investigations combine open-source and human intelligence with payment information, digital trails and examination of devices. Evidence gathered by the organisation can subsequently be used to support police investigations, prosecutions or other enforcement action on behalf of broadcasters and rights holders.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com