FACT and Sky highlight dangers of illegal streaming to licensees
Legal implications
Sky takes illegal screenings of sports broadcasts very seriously because it is important to ensure legitimate Sky subscribers are not left short-changed.
The only legal way to show Sky Sports programming in licensed premises in the UK is through a valid commercial viewing agreement from Sky Business.
Legitimate Sky Business commercial subscribers will see a pint glass icon appear on their TV screen from time to time. The lack of this icon can reveal who is showing Sky illegally.
Licensees who screen Premier League, SPFL or EFL matches via unauthorised foreign channels to the public risk having legal action taken against them by the leagues for infringing their copyright.
Sky have established field teams to actively detect unauthorised showing of Sky Sports. This illegal activity can result in licensees being fined and having to pay legal costs and/or losing their personal licence.
If you know of a venue screening Sky Sports illegally, visit www.pubpiracy.com
Kieron Sharp, chief executive of FACT warns of the risk businesses are taking when they engage with pirated content: “Now the new Premier League season is in full swing, some venues may be tempted to look elsewhere for live sports content. Our advice to them is that there is only one way to legally show Sky Sports programming and that is through a valid commercial viewing agreement from Sky Business.
“Streaming or sharing unauthorised TV content, film or sports content is illegal. Anyone selling, distributing, or allowing access to content without the permission of the copyright owner is committing a crime. But what licensees need to know is that anyone who is accessing content in this way is also committing a crime.
“We would like to encourage anyone approached by a supplier attempting to mislead them with illegal systems to report suspected illegal broadcasting confidentially at www.pubpiracy.com.”
George Lawson, head of commercial piracy at Sky said: “We take illegal use of our programming very seriously because it’s important to ensure our legitimate Sky subscribers are not left short-changed.
“Live sport helps bring communities together and with Sky Sports you can continue to bring your customers the best live sport experience with more of the drama and excitement from the sports they want to watch, including:
- The biggest names and the biggest games from the Premier League, with first picks every matchday weekend, alongside the Women’s Super League, EFL and Scottish Premiership
- Returning fan favourites including golf, Formula 1 and international cricket
- Game-changing partnership discounts and a great range of money-saving options
- Access to our easy-to-use digital support tools, with everything you need to promote live sport
Legitimate Sky Business commercial subscribers will see a pint glass icon appear on their TV screen from time to time. This lack of icon can reveal who is showing Sky illegally.”
