Media Play News
Bringing Entertainment Home
Erik Gruenwedel
June 1, 2026
London police have shut down an illegal streaming data center and seized more than $1.6 million (£1.2 million) worth of equipment allegedly used to illegally distribute pirated movies, live sports and broadcast television in the United Kingdom.
The operation, led by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, aims to curtail illegal IPTV services, which they say carry hidden risks, including compromising user’s devices and exposing personal data to criminals.
During the operation in Farnborough, police worked with Comcast-owned Sky to dismantle the pirate infrastructure. The data center hosted clusters of high-bandwidth servers that supplied illicit streams to many thousands of customers across the United Kingdom.
“The size of this operation shows how widespread illegal streaming has become in the U.K. and our commitment to bringing the criminals behind it to justice,” said Detective Sergeant Ben Hobbs.
By using an illegal streaming network, viewers can be exploited by criminals who can access their online data through compromised network channels and use this to access banking information and commit identity fraud, according to authorities.
“Illegal streaming is part of organized criminality that undermines the creative industries and causes harm to consumers,” said Matt Hibbert, group director of anti-piracy at Sky. “Continued partnership between police and industry is essential to disrupt these operations, protect our content, and keep consumers safe from the harmful risks it poses.”
Two people have been arrested in connection with the operation, and $942.5 million (£700,000) was seized from one of those individuals. They have since been released under investigation.
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