‘Rip-off Britain’: Readers clash over rise of illegal streaming and ‘dodgy sticks’

Our community said the surge in illegal streaming reflects rising anger at soaring subscription costs and fragmented sports coverage, with many arguing that ‘media companies should rein in their greed’ if they want fans to return to legal viewing

Jailbroken’ devices can be packed with illegal streaming apps – and with malware (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Independent readers responding to warnings about illegal streaming said the boom in so-called “dodgy sticks” is less a moral failing than a backlash against an industry many feel has become greedy, fragmented and out of touch.

Commenters reacting to reports on piracy argued that broadcasters have made it unnecessarily hard – and expensive – to watch sport legally, particularly for fans who follow a single team but are forced to juggle multiple subscriptions.

Cost dominated the debate. Readers repeatedly pointed to eye-watering monthly bills for football, contrasted with far cheaper access overseas, and dismissed claims of vast “lost revenue”, arguing most users would simply stop watching rather than pay.

Others blamed the worsening user experience, from bundled sports packages and creeping advertising to services dropping programmes after luring subscribers in. Several likened today’s streaming landscape to the DVD era, when piracy flourished because illegal options were easier and more convenient.

Not everyone was sympathetic. A minority described modified sticks as straightforward theft, warning that criminal suppliers are no Robin Hoods and could expose users to fraud and malware.

Here’s what you had to say:

A bunkum argument

Whilst I have a lot of sympathy for the broadcasters, “the Premier League would not be attracting the best players in the world, would not be seen as the best league in the world” is an absolutely bunkum argument. Clubs paying huge amounts for mediocre players and paying them huge salaries does not necessarily mean better quality football. The FA is much more interested in taking Sky’s money than it is in real football fans.

Sarge

I just gradually gave up watching sports

I just gradually gave up watching sports – cricket, Six Nations and now the Tour de France – which is all very sad, and the impact on kids’ participation if they can’t see top-level sport is a worry.

While piracy isn’t right, if it forces a rethink to make sports more widely available, or persuades the likes of TNT to price more reasonably, that can only be a good thing.

I hope sponsors are worried about falling viewer numbers and their exposure.

OliEEE

Rip-off Britain

What do you expect in rip-off Britain? It infects every aspect of daily living. Most expensive energy prices, petrol stations overcharging for fuel, big four supermarkets smugly inflating the cost of everyday items – on and on. And here we are expected to pay upwards of £100 to watch the Premier League, when the same product is available to our overseas chums for a tenner a month… go figure, and good luck to anyone doing it.

DrMaturin

Would these users buy a subscription?

If the dodgy service were 100 per cent blocked, would the user buy a subscription? The answer in most cases is no. Hence the supplier is losing no revenue and is actually selling their advertising clients a greater audience, thereby potentially benefiting.

JerryMyer

It’s theft, plain and simple

I am unsurprised by the many comments defending what is essentially theft by pointing at the content providers’ practices and profits to justify said theft.

I have been an arch pirate since the internet became a repository for content and still am.

It suits me, but it’s theft, plain and simple, and trying to justify said theft is truly pathetic. If you get content outside of the official portals, just admit to yourself that you are robbing stuff.

Oo.

Difficult to feel any sympathy

There was a time when we could all watch football on free-to-air telly. The media companies paid for it to be taken off our screens. It’s difficult to feel any sympathy for them.

Aquanaut

Just don’t engage

Let’s not kid ourselves, this is akin to simply shoplifting, or in the extreme, mugging.

You are engaging in a criminal act, and let’s face it, the faceless people supplying these devices are, in fact, criminals.

Do you think they are on your side and helping you stick it to the man?

Nonsense. If they could steal everything you possess, they would.

If the price for the streaming service is too high – just don’t engage.

Something for nothing is spiritually the same as “if it seems too good to be true, it is”.

Stimpymo

Too many platforms

Why are they popular?

If you want all the footy, you need Sky, TNT, Premier Sports, Amazon.

Cricket? Something else.

Then if you want to see, for example, Prehistoric Planet… Apple.

Fallout? Amazon.

Stranger Things? Netflix.

Something else, another platform. Sky Atlantic?

…etc, etc, etc.

Or just get one device.

PaulMG

The ‘lost revenue’ assumption

The “lost revenue” assumes that without dodgy sticks, all those people would just automatically turn into legitimate subscribers. Forget the fact they can’t actually afford to subscribe, which is why they use dodgy sticks in the first place.

Greendude

Rein in greed

People switch to pirating when the user experience is better.

In the past, pirating became socially acceptable because DVD companies would force people to watch a multitude of adverts and FBI warnings every time they inserted a DVD, whereas pirate copies did not.

Then Netflix came along offering an ad-free experience for a small monthly fee, so pirating virtually died out.

Then every other media company started streaming and people were now paying many small monthly fees. Then some started introducing adverts, or more often and for longer periods. Others dropped programming after getting people to subscribe to watch it.

So, at the end of the day, it is up to media companies to rein in their greed and stop trying to fleece and waste the time of their customers, otherwise they will find a more convenient solution.

And that reminds me, we have to find out which English-speaking country’s channel our “local” football matches are being aired on, because if Sky, etc doesn’t broadcast here, we’re not allowed to watch it even though it is being broadcast to half the planet.

NowWhatsHappening

A belt and braces finance bonus

Previously, as an end user, we had a choice between preferring a monthly charge and taking the bonus of not having to endure countless adverts, or no monthly charge but accepting adverts were going to interrupt the viewing.

Huge companies now combine higher subscriptions than a licence fee, plus the adverts are also included – a belt and braces finance bonus.

These subscription giants only became a thing in the last few decades, and we have literally thousands of options to watch. To be fair, most are abysmal too.

Avoiding TV has become a decent pastime for many.

Cloven

Just let fans watch any game they like

The reason for many people doing it is that sports fans in this country often strongly follow one team. The games for that team will be broadcast by several different broadcasters, so you have to subscribe to several services to watch all the games.

Why have they made it so difficult?

Just let fans watch any game they like legally for a sensible price per match, or one way to subscribe to all matches for whatever club you want to follow, then clamp down on the pirates.

Hi5

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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