Sky has been awarded a High Court Order that will require internet service providers (ISPs) to prevent piracy services being able illegally stream Sky’s best-selling football games and blockbuster television shows.
The UK broadcaster was granted a blocking order this week that will prevent people from accessing illegally streams on a variety of linear channels, where viewers are required to tune in to a particular time to watch programmes, including Sky Sports and Sky Atlantic.
In recent years, the use of Internet TV media boxes to illegally stream content is becoming more common. These boxes come preloaded with software to stream channels around the globe.
The order is similar to those granted by the Premier League for each of the past four seasons. However, it is intended to protect a wider range of content across all of its programming.
Sky now has the ability to shut down pirate sites individually at specific times. Sky uses a third party group that can identify the source of illegal streams using IP addresses or dedicated server. The information is passed on to ISPs who then block access to these locations.
The ruling can be used, for example, to block access to Sky Sports Cricket’s The Ashes or to a particular show, such as House of the Dragon, when the broadcast is at its peak.
The blocking of content is considered to be the most effective tool in combating piracy. The Premier League UK blocking order last season helped block or remove more than 600,000 illegal streams.
The media consultancy Enders said that major internet companies, including search engines and mobile stores, were enabling illegal “IPTV” subscription services to be delivered via TVs through an app. This allowed pirated content to be discovered and accessed.
Sky will be able to block domains, websites and servers in real time by Internet service providers with the help of court injunctions.
Sky’s spokesperson confirmed the court ruling, saying it would “help to limit the supply” of pirated Sky content.
He said: “Blocking is an effective tool to combat content piracy. It’s just one of the many measures we use to protect our content, and our business.”
The police have also been cracking down on criminals who run illegal streaming networks. Five British men who sold illegal IPTV sticks to run an illicit streaming network of Premier League matches were jailed for up to eleven years last month. The illegal businesses operated by the group offered streams to over 50,000 customers.
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