Amazon strengthens illegal streaming barriers on Fire TV
Amazon strengthens illegal streaming barriers on Fire TV
The company is taking further steps to ensure that Fire TV devices cannot be used to stream sports illegally.
Illegal sports streams continue to be a challenge for leagues and distributors alike. Technological advancements that make it easier for viewers to access sports legally also make it easier for criminals to provide them illegally, and tools like Amazon Fire TV streaming devices are often used to disseminate illegal sports broadcasts. But new reporting indicates that Amazon is taking specific steps to curb the practice, using its tech to stream sports unlawfully.
Key Details:
- Getting tough: Amazon is stepping up efforts to block apps that stream content illegally from Fire TV devices.
- New product: The Fire TV Stick 4K Select only allows apps found in Amazon’s app store to be downloaded.
- Closing the door: Open developer software on Fire TV sticks makes them easier to use for piracy purposes.
The Athletic was the first to report details of Amazon’s newest efforts to keep criminals from using Fire TV sticks to provide illegal sports streams. Those efforts begin with the new Amazon Fire TV 4K Select stick, which uses enhanced security measures to prevent piracy apps — even those sideloaded onto Fire TV devices.
Only apps available in the Amazon App Store will be available for customers to download onto the Fire TV 4K Select stick, and apps identified as providing access to pirated content will be blocked from the devices. Amazon’s new Vega OS is replacing the Android-built Fire TV on Amazon devices, and specifically tells customers it does not support installation of apps not available in the Fire TV store.
Per data from The Athletic, 31% of illegal streams in the United Kingdom over the past six months have been done on Fire TV and other internet protocol television devices — second only to websites (42%) as the most popular way to illegally stream TV.
“Piracy is illegal and we’ve always worked to block it from our app store,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Athletic. “We’ll now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our app store. This builds on our ongoing efforts to support creators and protect customers, as piracy can also expose users to malware, viruses and fraud.”
Amazon has always made efforts to combat this illegal usage, but previous iterations of the Fire TV stick featured open developer software that made it easier to upload illegal streaming apps onto the devices. The company says its current efforts to stop the use of its players for illegal streaming will extend to older devices as well.
Prime Video
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