Roku is cracking down on illegal content.
People who attempt to illegally watch sports matches, films and TV shows on Roku are set to have their shows cut off without warning.
The manufacturer has said that it will shut down any channels that it believes are streaming illegal content.
It follows a similar move by the Premier League which cut off streams for people illegally watching football matches on Kodi devices.
Roku has already removed some channels and and threatened it could pull others containing illegal material without prior notice – warning newcomers to watch ‘only legal content’
Roku sticks and boxes allow you to watch digital programming on your TV.
But cyber criminals are using the private channel functionality on the Roku operating system to get access to online streams illegally.
The feature was originally meant to allow developers to test their channels ahead of sending to Roku’s channel store.
Now, a warning will appear whenever someone creates a private channel.
It reminds them that they use a channel to stream ‘only legal content,’ and warns that Roku can pull channels with illegal material ‘without prior notice.’
It won’t, however, actively scan for piracy.
The impact of the change in stance from Roku is already being felt, according to TechCrunch.
One piracy channel iStreamItAll, which has been operating in a legally grey area, says it will remove support for the Roku platform in 2019.
The move follows illegal broadcasts of the Premier League matches being cut of for many viewers.
At least three paid for Internet Protocol Television Services (IPTV) are reported to have been affected.
Roku has begun cracking down on illegal channels after the decision by many retailers – including Amazon – to remove ‘fully loaded’ Kodi boxes (pictured) which were being used to watch illegal content
Kodi, Perfect Player and GSE IPTV are all believed to have been blocked, although more sites are likely to be targeted in the future.
Reports from Torrent Freak suggest that one UK provider tried to change its domain name, in order to bypass the restrictions, believing they were on a blacklist.
But their efforts proved fruitless, and they instead recommended that their users install Virtual Private Networks to get reconnected.
The High Court issued the ‘blocking order’ in July to cut off online streams for people who are illegally watching Premier League football matches.
Dubbed the ‘biggest ever crackdown’ on illegal streaming, the order will help the league intensify its crackdown on the illicit use of pre-loaded Kodi boxes and other illegal devices.
The order means UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have to stop people illegally streaming matches.
In the UK, you can only watch Premier League games legally on Sky Sports and BT Sport. Highlights can be seen on BBC Sport.
In the 2016-17 season the Premier League obtained a similar order for the last two months of the season.
One UK provider tried to change its domain name, in order to bypass the restrictions, believing they were on a blacklist. But their efforts proved fruitless, and they instead recommended that their users install Virtual Private Networks to get reconnected (pictured)
As many as a third of football fans watch the sport illegally, with many streaming games via illicit websites or through prohibited add-ons to so-called Kodi boxes (pictured)
The court order allowed Premier League bosses to blanket block internet servers.
Around 5,000 server IP addresses were blocked as a result.
Speaking to the BBC at the time, Premier League Director of Legal Services Kevin Plumb said: ‘This blocking order is a game-changer in our efforts to tackle the supply and use of illicit streams of our content.
‘It will allow us to quickly and effectively block and disrupt the illegal broadcast of Premier League football via any means, including so called ‘pre-loaded Kodi boxes.’
The league previously only had the power to block individual streams, which were easy for hosts to re-establish using a different link.
Sky and BT Sport paid more than £5bn ($6.6bn) for rights to show Premier League matches for three seasons.
WATCHING THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Sky Sports and BT Sport have between them shelled out £5.36billion ($7billion) to show live coverage of the English premier league.
The 2016 season was the first to move the broadcasters as part of a three-year mega-deal.
BBC Sport continues to show highlights only of the top flight matches.
BT Sport currently shows 42 exclusive live games per season.
This includes a number of ‘top pick’ matches between bigger clubs, like Manchester United and Chelsea.
Sky Sports shows 126 matches per season, three-quarters of all the Premier League matches broadcast live on TV in the UK.
Various package deals are available for both services.
How to pay less for your sports TV package
Thanks to a recent Sky Sports revamp you can now choose single sports channels on Sky, including one dedicated to the Premier League.
You will pay £18 per month for one channel, you get two for £22 or 3 for £26. The full 10-channel package typically costs £27.50, but there is currently a promotion offering it for £20.
The best value deal currently available from Sky at £72 per month (£39.95 set-up ) is the Original TV Bundle with Unlimited Broadband and Sky Sports.
BT broadband customers can add BT Sport to their Sky package from £10 ($13) per month or £22.99 ($30) if they don’t have broadband through BT.
It costs £3.50 to add BT Sport TV to it’s own package via the Starter TV kit with BT Sport. Bundled together with broadband and phone you will pay from £29.99 (£59.99 set up fee).
If you want to add Sky Sport to a BT package it will cost you £27.50 per month for the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Extra channels.
Virgin Media, Talk Talk and PlusNet are among other service providers who also offer these channels as option extras.
Talk Talk is currently offering the cheapest way to access the new Sky Sports Line up at just £28.50 per month for its TV with Faster Broadband and Sky Sports package.
Find the best deal for you: Use your postcode to search for the best broadband, TV and sports package using This is Money and the MailOnline’s carefully chose partner service, Broadband Choices