A senior British police officer has warned that the number of UK consumers streaming sports illegally has gone ‘through the roof’.
Speaking to The Financial Times, Emma Warbey, Detective Chief Inspector and head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at the City of London Police, said that use of internet TV media boxes or “sticks” that can be used to illegally stream content had become increasingly prevalent.
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Warbey told The Financial Times that her team is focusing its efforts on tackling “resellers and the people at the top of the tree” given that “it’s really hard to stop people doing it”. She added: “We always follow the money and go for the bigger organised crime groups and the bigger organised crime networks.”
Many broadcasters are concerned that an increase in the use of illegal streaming devices has helped normalise piracy for many sports fans in the UK and parts of Europe.
They also say that it risks undermining the value of sports rights.
Warbey told The Financial Times that the police had discovered clear links between pirated sports with money laundering and fraud.
She also said the cost of living crisis had added to the already rising cases of people using illegal but cheaper means to watch sports.
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