FACT highlights summer crackdown on illegal streaming
UK anti piracy organisation FACT has highlighted a series of enforcement actions against illegal streaming operations during the summer of 2026. The campaign resulted in prison sentences, arrests, financial penalties and ongoing investigations, with three major illegal IPTV operations alone generating approximately £1.4 million in revenue.
The largest case involved Milan Ibrahim, 68, from Lancashire, who was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after making almost £1 million over three years through an illegal television streaming service. The operation distributed unauthorized content from broadcasters and rights holders including the BBC, ITV, Sky and the Premier League. Following a City of London Police investigation, authorities seized and shut down 80 streaming servers in Chorley.
Another investigation identified Craig Austin, 38, as the operator of an unauthorized premium television subscription service that had been active for more than five years and generated approximately £205,000. He pleaded guilty to fraud related offences and possession of criminal property. Austin received a 32 month suspended sentence, along with 150 hours of unpaid work and rehabilitation requirements.
A third operator, Michael Barrow, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison after continuing to sell illegal IPTV subscriptions and preloaded Fire TV sticks despite receiving a cease and desist notice in 2021. His operation served almost 2,000 customers and generated more than £200,000. The prosecution was led by the Premier League with support from FACT and the TARIAN Regional Organised Crime Unit.
The enforcement campaign extends beyond major IPTV operators. Pubs in Staffordshire and Wales were ordered to pay more than £29,000 in fines and costs for illegally showing Sky Sports. Four additional suspects were arrested in Merseyside following six search warrants targeting suspected streaming services believed to have supplied thousands of customers.
FACT and Sky have also expanded enforcement activity into Ireland, where ten suspected IPTV sellers across several counties received legal warnings and cease and desist notices. The initiative also warns customers that information discovered during investigations into pirate IPTV networks may be provided to authorities.
FACT says its investigations combine open source intelligence, human intelligence, payment information, digital evidence and examination of seized devices. The resulting evidence can then support police investigations, prosecutions and enforcement actions conducted on behalf of broadcasters and rights holders.
The broader strategy demonstrates an increasing emphasis on disrupting the businesses and individuals supplying illegal IPTV services, rather than focusing only on blocking individual pirate streams. Research cited in the article estimates that piracy involving sport, television and film costs the UK economy at least £1.35 billion annually, equivalent to approximately 10,400 jobs.
