Are letters to 'dodgy stick' viewers a new anti-piracy approach?

Illegal streams- commonly known as a "dodgy box" or "dodgy stick" - have long been the target of crackdowns by legitimate streaming services and broadcasters.

It is estimated illegal streaming costs legitimate companies billions of pounds.

Until now enforcement has generally focused on the people supplying the devices rather than those using them.

But now Sky - Europe's largest subscription broadcaster - has taken a new approach, bringing the fight into viewers' living rooms.

In the past week it issued about 200 cease-and-desist letters to users in the Republic of Ireland.

Anti-piracy group FACT said more than 1,000 people in the UK were contacted in late 2025 after similarly being identified through criminal investigations.

So are rights holders taking a tougher approach to illegal stream users?

The action taken recently by Sky marked a shift as it was the first time the company had directly contacted suspected users rather than suppliers.

Sky obtained the names and addresses after legal action against an illegal supplier in County Wexford.

The company secured a court order requiring Revolut to hand over customer details linked to payments made to the person supplying the illegal stream.

Sky then wrote to people warning them not to illegally access its content in future.

A spokesperson told BBC News NI the broadcaster was prepared to take legal action if recipients did not engage.

Owning a streaming device is not illegal in the UK, even if it has been "jailbroken", where the built-in software restrictions have been removed to install unauthorised apps.

It is illegal to use that device or the unauthorised apps installed on it to access copyrighted material.

Individuals caught accessing as well as facilitating such material can face criminal prosecution, fines and civil action from rights holders.

FACT said it contacted more than 1,000 people across the UK in late 2025 after they had been identified through criminal investigations.

The organisation said those contacted were warned to stop using illegal streaming services or risk prosecution.

Kieron Sharp, chairman of FACT, said illegal streaming was "not a harmless shortcut".

"It can carry legal consequences and expose viewers to fraud, malware, harmful content and the theft of personal data," he said.

"Actions like this will continue as part of our ongoing fight against the damage caused by illegal streaming and other forms of piracy."

Dr Amy Thomas, a lecturer in intellectual property and information law at the University of Glasgow, said identifying someone was not the same as proving copyright infringement.

For example it could be difficult for Sky to prove that the people - whose info they got from the court order - actually streamed illegal content on that info alone.

"Courts are not big fans of 'speculative invoicing' for alleged copyright infringement," she said.

"These letters are probably intended to have more of a deterrent effect - stop this or else."

Paolo Pescatore, a media analyst, said escalating subscription fees meant some people took a view that it was easier and cheaper to stream illegally.

"Broadcasters are spending more to secure live sports rights and passing these costs onto consumers who can't afford them, leading to a messy, fragmented experience," he said.

This year in the UK a subscription is needed to watch the finals of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League for the first time.

Ethan Annet, a student from Castleblayney in County Monaghan was at a pub in Belfast during the Europa League final between Aston Villa and Freiburg and agreed with Pestacore's analysis.

"Between the Premier League, Champions League and the SPFL [Scottish Professional Football League] you have to pay three different subscriptions," he said.

"There's no way you can pay for that as a student - even when I want to watch as much good football as I can. It's nuts."

Harry from Loughguile, County Antrim, said he agreed.

"People probably see the risk as a better offer than going the legal route and purchasing all the different sports subscriptions," he said.

The scale of illegal streaming is difficult to measure as most estimates rely on polling and self-reporting rather than direct tracking.

The UK's Intellectual Property Office estimates millions of people across the UK access content through illegal sources, including about 3.6 million for live sport.

In the Republic of Ireland, one widely circulated estimate by the Sunday Independent suggested about 400,000 people may use illegal streaming services.

In the early 2000s the music industry took legal action against people accused of illegally sharing copyrighted music online.

Neil Brown, a solicitor specialising in internet and telecoms law, said broadcasters and authorities may be reluctant to repeat that approach.

"One might recall the various attempts of rights holders to sue people — including grandparents and children — for downloading songs 20 or so years ago," he said.

"I should be surprised if rights holders would want to start down that route again, but I could not rule it out."