Amazon is stepping up efforts to curb illegal sports streaming on its Fire TV platform, with plans to block apps identified as providing pirated content across both new and existing devices.
The tougher stance is detailed in a new episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, which examines the role of Fire TV Sticks in the growth of illicit sports streaming. Research from YouGov Sport, cited in the programme, suggests around 4.7 million UK adults have watched illegal streams in the past 6 months, with 31% using Fire Stick-type and other IPTV devices. Websites remain the most common route to piracy, used by 42% of viewers accessing illegal feeds.
Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick, the 4K Select launched last month, runs on the new Vega operating system and is designed to be far harder to use for piracy. Only apps available through Amazon’s official app store can be downloaded, with the company now also pledging to block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those side-loaded from outside the store.
“Piracy is illegal and we’ve always worked to block it from our app store,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Athletic. “We’ll now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our app store… piracy can also expose users to malware, viruses and fraud.”
The clampdown will apply to both new and older Fire TV devices and follows years of frustration from rights holders and broadcasters over the ease with which unauthorised third-party apps could be installed. Many of these illegal IPTV services mimic pay TV offers, typically charging £40 to £60 per year, and are believed to fund criminal networks.
Amazon is working with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the anti-piracy coalition headed by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), on the initiative. Larissa Knapp, chief content protection officer at the MPA and a former FBI agent, told The Athletic that while many companies run “aggressive programmes” against piracy, “criminals get creative”, making intelligence sharing and partnerships “critical”.
The rollout of stricter controls has already begun in Germany and France and will be expanded globally in the coming weeks and months. Over the summer, Amazon had already begun selectively disabling apps suspected of being linked to illegal sports streaming, citing “malicious behaviour” in certain cases. Although reports suggested national security concerns linked to malware from the Asia-Pacific region had prompted tougher action, Amazon declined to comment on specific law-enforcement contacts, saying only that it works with partners and authorities “to combat piracy and protect customers from risks”.
The move will be closely watched by sports leagues and streaming platforms, including the Premier League and UEFA, which has recently joined ACE and also has rights deals with Amazon for Champions League coverage. For rights holders battling subscription fatigue and rising piracy, any meaningful reduction in illegal Fire TV usage could prove as significant as new content or pricing strategies in protecting premium sports revenues.
