The Premier League "launched its biggest crackdown on piracy" with a series of moves to combat illegal streaming, "in light of fears that widespread availability of new consumer-friendly devices could fatally undermine its business model," according to Paul MacInnes of the London GUARDIAN. The streaming of live football though the internet has "long been a problem for the game's governing bodies." What was once a "minority activity," available only to those with digital skills and knowledge of the "more shadowy parts of the internet, has in the past few years become mainstream." As official TV audiences decline, the Premier League has "begun to fight back," engaging with police forces across the U.K. and abroad and collaborating with internet service providers as it "seeks to protect its lucrative intellectual property before bidding begins next year on a new broadcast deal." The list of actions initiated by the Premier League this year "include a series of raids" across the northwest at the beginning of February in which five people were arrested in connection with the sale and distribution of "Kodi boxes." A Premier League spokesperson said, "The Premier League is currently engaged in its largest ever anti-piracy campaign to protect its copyright." An "entirely legal app offering an entirely legal service," Kodi has been "hijacked by pirates" who offer software "plug-ins" that bring illegal streams to your smartphone or TV "via a customised set top box" (GUARDIAN, 3/29).
