The Premier League has successfully obtained an order from the High Court of Singapore to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to 25 of the most popular websites that illegally stream pirated Premier League matches.
The Premier League successfully secured the court order as part of its ongoing action to tackle illegal streaming throughout Asia. The technical method by which the ISPs are required to implement the blocks has been refined, making it harder for the operators of the pirate websites to circumvent them.
This action is part of the Premier League’s wide-ranging global anti-piracy programme. The latest block takes the number of domains blocked in Singapore by the Premier League to more than 460.
In the past year, the League has worked closely with the authorities in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam to crackdown on suppliers of illegal Premier League content. Legal action has included website blocks in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia and landmark cases against sellers of illicit streaming devices in Singapore.
Premier League General Counsel Kevin Plumb said: “We welcome this decision by the Singapore courts, which shows a continued commitment to protecting intellectual property.
“In shutting down these pirate sites, we are not only stopping illegal activity, but also helping reduce the possibility of fans being put at risk of scams. We know from recent research that people accessing illegal streaming sites in Singapore are nearly four times more likely to be exposed to a cyber threat than on a mainstream site.
“We will continue working with our broadcast partner StarHub, as well as local authorities and Internet Service Providers, to block illegal streams and to make fans aware of the dangers associated with these websites.”
Illegal sites, devices and apps serve as potential tools for cybercriminals to obtain personal information through fake login pages, sometimes coercing users to download malicious software before accessing streams. This can lead to data theft, malware and other scams.
The Premier League recently commissioned a study by Professor Paul Watters, a leading cybersecurity consultant and researcher, to investigate the cyber risk to Singaporeans who watch content via unauthorised streams and Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs). It revealed that consumers have an average 48 per cent chance of encountering a cyber threat on the top 25 illegal streaming sites in Singapore. More than half (53 per cent) of adverts analysed on these websites were categorised as high risk, with consumers 3.5 times more at risk of scams when visiting illegal sports streaming sites, compared to mainstream sites in Singapore.
Professor Watters also investigated three popular ISDs, conducting tests to determine if they contained any malware samples. The risk to consumers is clear: the analysis returned 243 separate virus warnings and all ISDs had evidence of malware within the default apps.
Additional research conducted by the Premier League showed that 74 per cent of people surveyed agree that blocking or banning illegal streaming sites is an effective deterrent.
