This action follows a series of successful prosecutions by FACT working with the Premier League. In March 2019 three sellers of illegal streaming devices from a pirate streaming organisation were given a combined total of 17 years imprisonment for defrauding the Premier League, some of the longest sentences for piracy-related crimes. FACT and the Premier League added that they would continue to monitor any ongoing offending and will escalate enforcement activity for persistent offenders.

FACT said that the initiative highlights the effective partnership between law enforcement agencies and the private sector allowing for co-ordinated regional and national action. The intelligence has been shared amongst a number of agencies and public bodies including HMRC and the Intellectual Property Office. Further actions of a similar nature are planned.

“This is just one of the tactics we deploy against people committing offences that affect sports rights holders and broadcasters,” commented FACT chief executive Kieron Sharp. “We have a programme of continuous activity targeting different elements of the global piracy landscape, with consideration given to the scale of the offending so that the most effective and proportionate response is deployed.