Streaming online – know the risks 

What is illegal streaming? 

Illegal streaming is the online consumption of illicit copies of any content, including films, TV shows, or sports content, without the copyright owner’s permission. This can include watching illegal content using an add-on accessed from a device like a set-top box or a stick, streaming from an unauthorised website, or streaming via an app (on a smart TV, mobile phone, tablet, laptop or games console).

Some examples of pirated content are films and TV programmes that are not yet released in the UK or that are only being shown in the UK on streaming services for which you don’t have an account, pay-per-view offerings for which you have not paid and sports events that are aired legally only on sports channels for which you do not have a subscription.

Illicit links and streams to pirated film/TV & sports content are made available throughout the web without the copyright holder's permission, most commonly on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, X and Tiktok, and increasingly so via AI chatbots. Streaming hardware devices like set-top-boxes or Amazon Firesticks / Google Chromecasts in their unaltered form are legal. However, many are being modified and then sold, with unauthorised add-ons pre-installed that allow people to access, stream and watch copyrighted content illegally.

And while using a Virtual Private Network (or VPN) to add extra security to your online data is perfectly legal, unlocking content specifically unavailable within your country of residence is against the terms of service of most streaming platforms.. 

In short, if you are streaming and watching films, TV or sports content through an unauthorised source - for free or paid-for - then you are streaming illegally.

How to stay safe online

• Get It Right provides some tips and tricks on how to identify illegal websites and shines a light on the dangers of consuming pirated content in a humorous and interactive manner.  
• On BeStreamWise, you can find where you can safely stream the films and TV shows you love while protecting yourself and your household from cyber-criminals.
• To access legitimate sports content and live streaming from a variety of Premier League matches in the UK, please visit: www.premierleague.com/broadcast-schedules.

What are the risks?

• You risk being exposed to dangerous malware and/or the risk of fraud and data theft. This risk increases significantly when you exchange credit or debit card information to view content on unregulated and pirate-run websites.
• Watching content via an unauthorised source can expose younger viewers to explicit advertisements and age-inappropriate content. Unlike most legal sources, these unauthorised websites, devices, apps, add-ons, and the content they can access have no effective parental controls.

What to do if you suspect someone is selling illegal streaming devices

Those who load up, advertise, sell or distribute dodgy streaming devices are committing a crime.

We at Crimestoppers are working with industry partners to raise awareness of the risks and help protect you from the impacts of illegal streaming.

If you have information on who is selling, distributing or promoting these fully-loaded devices - or offering them with instructions for modifying them to access illegal content - it’s easy and safe to contact us by phone on 0800 555 111 or online anonymously.

There may be times when information received by Crimestoppers is passed on to our trusted partner organisations. Crimestoppers will only share this information to help keep communities and workplaces safe.

16 July 2025