Pirated streaming of premium television and sports content has reached levels of "industrial scale theft", costing broadcasters and sports bodies billions of dollars annually, according to a new report by media analysts Enders.
The research found that pirated feeds account for a "double digit percentage" of all viewing of premium sports and television content.
A single pirated stream of a high-profile event, particularly a live football match, can attract "tens of thousands" of viewers.
This figure may be multiplied many times when streams are shared across social media platforms, with stolen live feeds used globally beyond licensed broadcasting areas.
Sport broadcasters are missing out on 'billions' due to pirated streams
PA
Amazon Fire Sticks have been identified as the primary enabler of this piracy epidemic.
According to 2025 data provided by Sky and cited in the Enders report, 59 per cent of people in the UK who admitted to using pirated feeds in the past 12 months via a physical device said they used an Amazon Fire device.
The devices, which are entirely legal in their original form, can be easily modified or "jailbroken" to access apps showing pirated sports content alongside legitimate services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Enders researchers described the Amazon Fire Stick as "a piracy enabler" that enables "billions of dollars in piracy" overall.
The Enders report accused major technology companies including Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft of "ambivalence and inertia" in addressing the piracy crisis.
Big Tech groups were criticised for "failing to engage decisively with content owners to shore up security architecture, while simultaneously steering consumers to illegal services in the other parts of their businesses".
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The researchers highlighted the "continued depreciation" of Digital Rights Management systems, particularly Google's Widevine and Microsoft's PlayReady.
These security technologies, largely unchanged over twenty years, "are now compromised across various security levels" due to lack of maintenance by the tech giants, giving "piracy the upper hand by enabling theft of the highest quality content".
Industry executives are demanding urgent action from government and major technology platforms to combat the escalating piracy crisis.
Nick Herm, Sky's chief operating officer, said the report "highlights the significant scale and impact of piracy".
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Modified Amazon fire sticks are seen as the primary enablers
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He added: "We'd like to see faster, more joined-up action from major tech platforms and government to address the problem and help protect the UK creative industries."
Media analyst Claire Enders warned that "piracy is costing content originators, pay-TV and streaming companies, many billions globally".
The report concluded that "combating piracy a formidable challenge, providing a direct threat to profitability for broadcasters and streamers", with calls for a complete overhaul of technology architecture licensing.
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