Illegal streaming of live sport has become commonplace in Britain and is straining the pay-TV deals that fund top competitions, according to an analysis by the BBC's Theo Leggett.
Research firm Ampere Analysis estimates that about half of sports fans admit watching paywalled events through unofficial means, rising to more than 70% among 18 to 34-year-olds. When this year's Champions League final went behind a UK paywall, research for the Guardian counted 3.7 million IP addresses using illegal streams, against roughly seven million legal viewers.
The courts have stepped up enforcement. In August a Lancashire man was jailed for six and a half years over a streaming service police said made almost £1m, and in June a Pembrokeshire postman was jailed for more than three years. The Premier League's latest domestic rights deal is worth £6.7bn over four years.
Source: BBC News