[Football] Police to 'visit 1,000 homes' in MASSIVE crackdown on illegal Premier League streaming

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zeemeeuw

Well-known member
Apr 8, 2006
762
Somerset
The one thing I think a lot of us need clearing up is...

Is streaming an unofficial sporting broadcast online illegal or not?

My understanding is that by doing so, you are not breaking the law. Similarly, sharing a link of an illegal broadcast is not breaking the law.

You are only breaking the law if you host/broadcast a stream, or provide the physical means for others to illegally stream - eg selling modded fire sticks.

Can anyone with a better legal understanding confirm this?
Been illegal since 2018 I believe, changed the law so it included temporary copies, which was the get out before.

 






HalfaSeatOn

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2014
2,087
North West Sussex
This would be a police PR disaster. Our community websites moan like fcuk about lack of police response to crime. ‘Hello, hello sir we’d like to ask you a few questions’ ‘Sorry officer, I can’t hear you someone’s cutting off a catalytic converter’
 
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Sheebo

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2003
29,319
Probably the general consensus I hope, but there are far more important ‘crimes’ to worry about and I have no issue with anyone ripping off greedy global companies who most of us give / have given loads of hard earned money to over the years…

Crack on, guilt free!
 


BadFish

Huge Member
Oct 19, 2003
18,194
Just for context, in Australia we get access to a Premier League and La Lugs Games and assorted other programs for $100 ( going up to $150) per year. That's about 80 pounds.
 




Cotton Socks

Skint Supporter
Feb 20, 2017
2,151


You've all been warned! Personally I'm still recording JC & Warren commentating matches for an elderly lady with dementia to play on her cassette player if there's a 7pm ko. I'd feel too bad to put on old recordings as we're doing so well!
I've bought so much music due to the likes of Demonoid and PirateBay, I pay a monthly sub to Deezer now & never bother to buy any of it.
I'm going to chuck away all of my top 10 recording cassettes in the loft just in case Southern FM want their money back..... even though I generally bought the record after!
They're watching you. 👓 👓 😎:unsure:
 


Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,887


You've all been warned! Personally I'm still recording JC & Warren commentating matches for an elderly lady with dementia to play on her cassette player if there's a 7pm ko. I'd feel too bad to put on old recordings as we're doing so well!
I've bought so much music due to the likes of Demonoid and PirateBay, I pay a monthly sub to Deezer now & never bother to buy any of it.
I'm going to chuck away all of my top 10 recording cassettes in the loft just in case Southern FM want their money back..... even though I generally bought the record after!
They're watching you. 👓 👓 😎:unsure:

Nothing like the 70s. Recording the Top 40 and re-playing it to hear the budgie chirping in the background.
 


clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
25,876
Let the clubs stream all their games for a monthly subscription
Problem solved.

In which case you can forget about the football pyramid or Brighton being in the top half.

Arsenal and Man United would earn more from television rights in a few games than they do for the whole season.
 
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Wardy's twin

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2014
8,866
Surely the solution would be for the TV company to offer a streaming service tailored to a particular club by putting all the televised games on a hub and you just get a key/signon/barcode/whatever for the match(es) that you subscribe to. I watch Albion games on NOWTV on a per occasion basis, not cheap but acceptable. Season ticket should make it cheaper per game rather than buying individual games. The ticket would be othered by a joint venture of Sky/BT/amazon and the PL.
 


Cotton Socks

Skint Supporter
Feb 20, 2017
2,151
Nothing like the 70s. Recording the Top 40 and re-playing it to hear the budgie chirping in the background.
Move forward to the 80's and you could just tape straight off the radio (so I've heard). Tape to tape recordings also meant you could borrow a game from a mate for the sinclair spectrum, record it & the game would load on yours (so I've heard), I've never understood how that worked (if I knew someone that had done it of course)! ;)
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,677
The Fatherland
This would be a police PR disaster. Our community websites moan like fcuk about lack of police response to crime. ‘Hello, hello sir we’d like to ask you a few questions’ ‘Sorry officer, I can’t hear you someone’s cutting off a catalytic converter’
I‘m now wondering how this will play out, as I see it there’s 3 outcomes

1) Police don’t actually go through with this
2) Police go through with it but don’t catch many people.
3) Police go through with it and catch a significant number of people.

1) or 2) and the police look stupid. 3) is the only option which gives the police any credibility but as you say, a huge PR disaster. Why on earth have they set themselves up for this?
 




Cotton Socks

Skint Supporter
Feb 20, 2017
2,151
I‘m now wondering how this will play out, as I see it there’s 3 outcomes

1) Police don’t actually go through with this
2) Police go through with it but don’t catch many people.
3) Police go through with it and catch a significant number of people.

1) or 2) and the police look stupid. 3) is the only option which gives the police any credibility but as you say, a huge PR disaster. Why on earth have they set themselves up for this?
To take the publics mind off of new bills against protests or unions perhaps? Planes to Rwanda etc. A kind of 'look over there' thing? I reckon number 1 is the most likely outcome though!
 


RowZ

Member
Sep 12, 2022
75
Streams are easy to find......they mix the urls now ala piratebay proxies, so can't ever be shut down / stopped. The idea they can know you are watching at home is nearly as silly as the 1980's "TV license van adverts".....omg - that level of homour from 'hoax propaganda for money' can never be surpassed. The funnier thing is they spent the fear money on Jimmy Saville's wages and Elm Guest House etc.....

 
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Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
24,779
GOSBTS
Streams are easy to find......they mix the urls now ala piratebay proxies, so can't ever be shut down / stopped. The idea they can know you are watching at home is nearly as silly as the 1980's "TV license van adverts".....omg - that level of homour from 'hoax propaganda for money' can never be surpassed. The funnier thing is they spent the fear money on Jimmy Saville's wages and Elm Guest House etc.....

To be fair that’s not entirely true. Internet service providers can quite easily tell who has been watching them from a user perspective.
 


Clive Walker

Stand Or Fall
Jul 5, 2011
3,588
Brighton
If you use sky or bt as your isp and stream football without a vpn you run a real risk of having your internet cut off. That’s the worst case scenario. However, I’m guessing most of us use a vpn so can’t see any risk.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,677
The Fatherland
To take the publics mind off of new bills against protests or unions perhaps? Planes to Rwanda etc. A kind of 'look over there' thing? I reckon number 1 is the most likely outcome though!
New bills, Rwanda etc is the government not the police. Surely the government and police are not in cahoots over this?
 


HalfaSeatOn

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2014
2,087
North West Sussex
If you use sky or bt as your isp and stream football without a vpn you run a real risk of having your internet cut off. That’s the worst case scenario. However, I’m guessing most of us use a vpn so can’t see any risk.

Has a cut off your nose to spite your face feel. Surely the likes of Sky would lose non vpn broadband customers who also have their tv packages.
 




Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
24,779
GOSBTS
Has a cut off your nose to spite your face feel. Surely the likes of Sky would lose non vpn broadband customers who also have their tv packages.
Depends if they’ve had a court order against them ….
 


Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
24,779
GOSBTS
This was actually partially related to my job for the past 10 years up until beginning of this year. A few things:

- technically it’s very difficult for an ISP to consistently get this information, but can be done. Same techniques used to prove terrorism or child porn offences.

- highly unlikely an individual watching could be prosecuted- more likely those providing access, selling access or profiting from it (pubs, working men’s clubs etc)

- it is possible the PL or someone on their behalf has started a fishing campaign, maybe they’ve busted a site or it’s leaked information of whose been watching - and that’s been threatened against some ISPs with a possible court order or similar.

- ISPs daily get provided proof of their users doing bad things by ‘lawyers’ representing various rights holders, but incredibly rare it goes much further as an ISP usually takes some form of proactive action.

- vpns help users on a device, but no protection for those using firesticks

- VPNs help in some ways, but all you’re doing is filtering your internet traffic through sone spurious source who then gets visibility into your internet traffic , that is unencrypted - use with caution.
 


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