Katarzyna Petru
Amazon is finally responding to the growing criticism and announces a global cleanup of pirate applications on Fire TV. The company has confirmed that it has begun blocking programmes that enable the viewing of illegal streams of sports, films, and series — first in Germany and France, and soon in other countries.
End of leniency for apps from outside the store
An Amazon representative admitted in a conversation with The Athletic that until now the company had mainly focused on blocking pirated apps in the official store. The problem is that the real "grey area" has thrived outside of it — in the form of sideloaded apps, often installed by default by companies that sold "unlocked" Fire TV devices with pirated streams.
Now Amazon is changing its strategy:
“We will be blocking apps that provide access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our store” — the spokesperson confirmed. The company emphasized that it is doing this for the protection of both creators and users themselves, who are exposed to viruses, malware, and fraud by such apps.
Fire TV as the main "piracy device"?
According to The Athletic, in the United Kingdom, over 30% of pirated content is watched via Fire TV. Additionally, there are ready-to-purchase devices with pre-installed "magically working" apps that promise free broadcasts of matches, films, or new blockbusters. It is no surprise that the Enders Analysis report described Fire TV as a "facilitator of piracy", which sparked quite a controversy around Amazon.
Amazon doesn't tell everything — but changes are already visible
For now, it is not known exactly how Amazon will block the installation of unauthorised apps on existing devices. But one thing is certain — future Fire TVs will be much more secure. This is all thanks to VegaOS, a new system that replaces Android. Amazon has confirmed that on devices with VegaOS it will not be possible to install any software outside of the official store. So… the end of sideloading.
What does this mean for users?
Fire TV will no longer be the easiest platform for pirate streams.
„Jailbroken” devices may soon cease to function as they have been.
Amazon will start aggressively combating unofficial apps — and this will be global.
Changes are therefore inevitable. Fire TV is to become no longer a “golden gate” to pirate matches, but a fully controlled and (finally) secure ecosystem.
