Illegal streaming network used by thousands of Brits to watch Sky Sports on the cheap is shut down as man is jailed
A MAN running an illegal streaming operation offering customers cheap access to premium Sky channels has been jailed.
Gary McNally, 55, has been sentenced to two years and nine months for running the illegal IPTV service known as Each Online.
The service provided illegal access to Sky Entertainment, Sky Sports and Sky Movie channels, as well as content from international broadcasters.
McNally, from Acocks Green in Birmingham, ran Each Online between November 2017 and June 2020.
At its peak, McNally claimed to have over 2,000 subscribers to his illegal service.
Sky closed in on McNally after an investigation revealed he was using a legitimate NOW TV account to gain illegal access to Sky TV.
Sky, which owns NOW TV, referred the matter to West Midlands Police who arrested McNally for fraud and intellectual property offences in September 2021.
A search of McNally’s house revealed a large number of laptops, hard drives and NOW TV devices.
TV boxes and streaming gadgets like Roku and Fire Sticks are often modified by criminals to make premium content available for a fraction of the cost.
Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky said McNally’s sentencing highlights the “significant consequences” for those engaging in illegal streaming.
“We are grateful to the West Midlands Police for acting so robustly to take down a highly sophisticated illegal streaming operation,” he added.
“We will continue to work with law enforcement to protect our content and help keep consumers safe from criminal piracy networks.”
Two other individuals were arrested alongside McNally.
One person has been released with no further action, while the other has been released pending further investigation.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We will work with partners wherever possible to disrupt criminal activity, and we hope this case sends a warning message to anyone involved in this kind of criminal enterprise.”
Broadcasters and police have been upping the ante on illegal streaming rings over the past year.
In December, addresses up and down the UK were threatened with criminal prosecutions in a two-week enforcement operation.
Warning over 'jailbroken' Fire Sticks
Illegal streaming can be delivered by a number of devices.
One of the most common devices are ‘jailbroken’ Fire Sticks.
A ‘jailbroken’ device means a third-party media server software has been installed on to it.
The software most commonly used is called Kodi.
It can grant users unrestricted access to new features and apps the normal version of the device wouldn’t allow – but it is not legal to use in the UK.
But it becomes illegal when a box is used to stream subscription channels for free.
It is also illegal to buy or sell these modified devices which have become known as “fully-loaded” – a term that describes how the software has been altered to allow access to subscription-only channels.
“These devices are legal when used to watch legitimate, free-to-air content,” the government said at the time.
“They become illegal once they are adapted to stream illicit content, for example TV programmes, films and subscription sports channels without paying the appropriate subscriptions.”