Sports pirates just got some bad news
Amazon is making it significantly harder for users to pirate sports content on Fire TV devices by tightening restrictions on sideloading apps. Sideloading — the process of installing apps from outside the official Amazon Appstore — has been widely used to access illegal streaming apps that offer free access to premium sports broadcasts.
According to the report, Amazon has begun blocking or limiting the installation and operation of many third-party apps associated with piracy, including IPTV players, unofficial streaming services, and certain media tools that enable access to illegal sports streams. Users are now facing warnings, failed installations, and apps that no longer function properly after updates.
The move comes as sports leagues and broadcasters increase pressure on tech companies to curb illegal streaming, which they say drives major revenue losses and undermines media rights deals. Amazon has strong commercial interests in protecting sports content, as it now holds rights to major competitions and sells subscriptions to licensed sports services.
Experts note that while the restrictions will disrupt casual piracy among everyday users, determined pirates may still find workarounds through VPNs, modified software, or alternative devices. However, reducing easy access through mainstream hardware is expected to have a significant impact on the scale of illegal sports streaming.
