Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police have executed warrants in Manchester, making four arrests and seizing ten servers and associated equipment. Each item was valued at approximately £75,000, with total seizures exceeding £750,000.

The investigation began after Sky reported suspicious activity linked to a large scale illicit streaming service. Investigators identified the individuals believed to be operating an illegal service that supplied millions of consumers across the UK. One suspect is alleged to have generated more than £3 million in revenue from the operation.

During the operation, officers shut down the servers on site. Sky confirmed that widespread disruption affected their illegal streaming output across the UK.

Detective Constable Jordan Day, of PIPCU at the City of London Police, commented: “Criminals continue to provide illegal IPTV streaming services to consumers. These services are not harmless alternatives; they are examples of organised criminal operations generating millions in illegal profits. It is more important than ever that our team works to protect the integrity of broadcasting and the millions of people who rely on it. This operation demonstrates the impact we can have when we work closely with partners like Sky to dismantle these illegal networks, sending a clear message to those who profit from piracy that they will be held to account.”

Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky, added:  “We thank the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit for taking decisive action against a major pirate operation. We take the protection of our content extremely seriously given the significant investment we make and will continue to work with the police and industry partners to disrupt the criminal networks behind piracy. People who watch illegal streams should know that it isn’t a victimless crime: recent research by BeStreamWise advise that nearly 65 per cent of illegal streamers have faced security scares like malware through these unlawful methods. This action will help keep consumers, their devices and their personal data safe.”

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Categories: Articles, Piracy, Policy, Regulation

Tags: manchester, PIPCU, piracy, sky, streaming