Five people in England have been sentenced to long prison terms for running an illegal streaming service for Premier League games with 50,000 subscribers.
As the BBC reported on Tuesday, the 36-year-old leader of the gang has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Four other defendants received prison sentences of between three and more than five years. One of them was also convicted of voyeurism and possession of child pornography.
In total, the group is said to have earned seven million pounds (equivalent to over eight million euros) with the streaming service called Flawless TV, which is operated from a London apartment.
Users are rarely prosecuted
According to an expert quoted by the BBC, fans who have subscribed to the service are unlikely to be prosecuted. Users of the illegal service paid £10 a month for the service, which costs £80 from regular providers. The content was streamed by TV stations from Qatar, Australia, the USA and Canada.
As well as lower costs, Flawless TV providers have lured viewers in with live coverage of Saturday games, which are unavailable in the UK due to blackout regulations. No games are allowed to be broadcast there between 2.45pm and 5.15pm to encourage fans to go to the stadium.
