IF you’ve received a Fire Stick for Christmas make sure you don’t risk a £1,000 fine by making an unexpected mistake.
The popular Fire Stick provides access to a whole host of free TV and movie apps that are totally legal.
This includes the main broadcasters like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and 5.
Of course you can access premium paid apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ too.
However, many of these platforms have gone beyond offering on-demand and endless boxsets.
They now show an increasing number of special live events as well.
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For example, Netflix has the rights to WWE, as well as big boxing games and more.
Amazon Prime has rights to some football matches.
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What people often forget is that legally you need a TV Licence to watch any of these because they’re live.
If you’re without a licence and you only watch non-live on-demand content you’re in the clear – except for BBC iPlayer, any access to that live or not requires a TV Licence.
Don’t forget, there’s also a live TV tab on the Fire Stick as well, which should be avoided to not fall foul of the law if you don’t have a TV Licence.
A TV Licencing rep previously told The Sun: “A TV Licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer.
“Further information is available on the TV Licensing website or via the customer services team, who can help with any queries.”
LEGAL STREAMING
It’s also important to avoid illegal streaming apps.
Amazon has blocked these now making it near impossible to install in the first place.
But experts have warned consumers that using such services put you at risk of fraud, with the average person losing over £1,600.
It’s always best to stick to known and trusted apps, even if you have to pay for them.
WHY HAS AMAZON BLOCKED ILLEGAL STREAMING ON FIRE STICKS?
Here’s what tech industry expert Paolo Pescatore, of PP Foresight, thinks…
“Bottom line, it was about time, and it is the right thing to do,” he told The Sun.
“There’s much more the industry can do as a whole.
“More and more people are streaming illegally, and in many cases, they think the services are genuine.
“Sports is typically the genre that generates the most attention, given the escalating costs.
“With moves towards direct-to-consumer services online, the issue will only proliferate.
“Everyone has to do their part to address this problem, which is costing the industry a lot of money.”
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