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IPTV gang jailed for illegally streaming Premier League games

In a significant victory for the Premier League, five individuals involved in illegally streaming Premier League football matches have been handed jail sentences.

The gang, which operated by selling cut-price subscriptions for £10 per month, streamed matches to tens of thousands of people, exploiting the broadcasting blackout rules that prevented live viewing in the UK.

Their operation, described as the largest of its kind, generated over £7 million from approximately 50,000 subscribers.

The Premier League took the unusual step of pursuing a private prosecution to protect its valuable content.

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Premier League are cracking down on illegal IPTV streaming devices (Image: Premier League)

The league’s lawyers emphasized that the fraud prosecution was necessary to safeguard “some of the world’s most valuable content.”

The successful sentencing comes after an extensive investigation led by Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s trading standards.

The sentencing of the gang marks a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against illegal streaming.

The operation not only involved the unauthorized broadcasting of Premier League matches but also highlighted other criminal activities.

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Christopher Felvus, one of the gang members, was found guilty not only of participating in the illegal streaming scheme but also of voyeurism and possessing indecent images of children, discovered on his computer.

illegal iptv gang jailed
The IPTV app would broadcast 3pm kick offs from abroad which are illegal in the UK (Image: Premier League)

These additional charges further underscore the seriousness of the gang’s activities and the need for their prosecution.

Trading-standards investigator Doug Love played a pivotal role in exposing the gang’s illicit operation. Leading a raid on the prime mover Mark Gould’s riverside flat in Greenwich, south London, Love and his team were astounded by the scale of the operation.

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Love revealed, “When we went into the spare bedroom, there were 20 or 30 set-top boxes linked together.” The discovery of this equipment revealed the elaborate infrastructure that facilitated the streaming of illegal content to a wide audience.

The gang’s scheme was designed to take advantage of the unavailability of certain football matches on traditional television channels.

By capitalizing on the Premier League’s blackout rules, which restrict broadcasting of UK matches between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays, the gang attracted subscribers eager to access games not otherwise accessible through legal means.

Their service, known as Flawless TV, offered “3pm kick-off” Premier League games that were typically only broadcast abroad.

The successful prosecution of the gang and their subsequent imprisonment serves as a clear message that the Premier League and the authorities will not tolerate the infringement of intellectual property rights.

The operation’s magnitude, with £7 million generated over a five-year period, demonstrates the financial gains that can be achieved through illegal streaming activities.

Moreover, the investigation has raised questions about the subscribers who paid for the Flawless TV service. With their personal details now in the hands of investigators, the issue of potential legal action against them arises.

The consequences for those who knowingly engaged in the illegal streaming of Premier League matches could extend beyond the immediate imprisonment of the gang members.

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The Premier League’s successful prosecution and the sentencing of the gang are significant milestones in the ongoing fight against illegal streaming.

However, the case also highlights the need for continued efforts to combat unauthorized streaming services and protect the rights of content creators.

It is crucial for industry stakeholders, authorities, and technology companies to collaborate in finding innovative solutions to ensure a fair and sustainable ecosystem for the distribution and consumption of digital content.

Only through a collective approach can the menace of illegal streaming be effectively tackled.