Fans Warned They Will Be 'Intercepted' When Searching For Illegal Premier League Streams This Weekend

If you’re a football fan the chances are you will have watched an illegal stream at least once over the years.

And while many people are perhaps assuming that it won’t land them in any trouble, a fresh warning has been issued ahead of the league’s return after the first international break of the season.

Only a few matches are available to watch live - so as not to discourage fans from attending fixtures in-person right down the football pyramid - most of which require either a pricey subscription or a hefty one-off fee to access them. As a result, it’s estimated that one in ten Brits have watched an illegal sports stream in the last six months.

And the issue is definitely on the Premier League’s radar, with the organisation in the process of trying to gain access to more information regarding people illegally streaming their games, successful prosecutions are beginning to mount up.

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Two brothers were recently sentenced to a combined 11 years behind bars after a crackdown on internet protocol television (IPTV) streaming, which is often accessed through jailbroken Fire Sticks, and Sky have been working with police forces across the UK to target people doing this sort of thing as well, so the potential to land yourself in huge trouble is certainly growing.

And now, a new scheme has been put in place to catch people trying to access an illegal stream of one of the Premier League games this weekend.

The North London derby sees Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday (September 15th), but any fans who try to access an illegal stream of the game could be in for a shock.

BeStreamWise is planning to 'intercept' football fans searching for an illegal stream in the hopes of protecting them from 'the dangers of digital piracy’.

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People searching for an illegal stream of the North London Derby will be redirected to another link provided by BeStreamWise.

Disappointingly what they'll get to watch will be a literal stream of water while a comedian provides some commentary of the babbling brook.

The prank has been set up to help make viewers aware of the risk they’re taking and to warn people that going on the lookout for illegal streams may not only land you in trouble with the law but could also leave your devices vulnerable to being infected with viruses and malware, or for you to fall victim to fraud and identity theft.

2.7 million devices belonging to Brits have ended up being infected due to illegal streaming, while 90 percent of illegal streaming sites are classed as risky.

Meanwhile, one in three people who admit to illegally streaming in the UK said they'd been targeted by fraud, identity theft or scams as a result.