The enforcement has commenced in France and Germany and will soon be implemented worldwide.
Essential information
– Amazon is set to start restricting piracy-related applications on all Fire TV devices, including those that are sideloaded.
– The company claims this initiative safeguards both content creators and consumers from malware and deceitful applications.
– The limitation has already started in France and Germany and will broaden its reach globally in the following weeks.
Piracy has emerged as a significant problem for streaming services, and Amazon will now initiate the blocking of all piracy-related applications on its Fire TV devices.
In a communication to The Athletic, Amazon mentioned it is “actively addressing” the blocking of apps recognized for allowing users to access pirated content on the platform (via 9to5Google). This limitation will be enforced not just on applications available in the Fire TV Appstore but also on those sideloaded onto Fire TV devices.
Amazon declared it will “forbid apps recognized as offering access to pirated content, including those installed from outside our app store.” The company noted that this initiative will safeguard both content creators and customers, as pirated applications frequently “expose users to malware, viruses, and fraud.”
No more sideloaded piracy applications on Fire TV
The limitation affects both new and existing Fire TV devices and has already initiated in France and Germany. Amazon states it intends to extend the rollout globally in the forthcoming weeks and months.
This follows The Athletic’s findings that in the UK, more than 30% of illegal sports streaming was attributed to Fire TV and other IPTV devices. Fire TV devices have long been associated with illegal sports streaming as third-party applications can be easily sideloaded onto these devices, allowing users to access pirated sports content for a fraction of the legal price.
It appears Amazon is now putting a stop to this. In addition to blocking access to pirated applications on older devices, the company has also started to completely restrict sideloading with the newly launched Fire TV Stick Select earlier this year.
The new streaming device operates on a new non-Android system referred to as VegaOS, which, according to Amazon, encompasses enhanced security features and permits app downloads solely from the official Appstore, effectively terminating access to pirated streaming applications.
