Millions of households in the UK are currently utilizing ‘unauthorized’ Fire TV Sticks to access entertainment content easily. These altered devices, widely accessible online, provide unrestricted entry to premium services like Sky Sports and blockbuster movies for a nominal annual fee, with some even offering complimentary shows and boxsets.
The growing trend of people shifting away from legitimate providers has raised concerns for companies such as Sky regarding the use of modified Fire TV Sticks.
During a recent event, Nick Herm, Sky’s chief operating officer, noted the prevalence of jailbroken Fire Sticks for accessing pirated services, specifically highlighting the popularity among football enthusiasts who openly support these devices.
Amazon, the retailer of Fire TV Sticks, bears no responsibility for these activities as they sell their devices lawfully, only pre-loading official apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. However, the issue arises from the capability to side-load unofficial applications, facilitating the installation of free streaming software.
In response to these challenges, Amazon has introduced the 4K Select Fire TV Stick, a more cost-effective alternative that delivers high-quality 4K visuals and operates on the Vega platform instead of Amazon’s Fire OS. Notably, the new software restricts app installations to only approved software from Amazon’s marketplace, potentially curbing the use of unofficial applications and illegal streaming practices.
Amazon has confirmed that for heightened security, only apps available on the Amazon Appstore on Fire TV can be downloaded, indicating a shift towards a more controlled ecosystem that may deter the use of unauthorized apps in the future.
While existing Fire TV Sticks will remain unaffected by this change, the introduction of the 4K Select Fire TV Stick signals a step towards combating illicit streaming activities on these devices.