Latest news with #SkyTelevision
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Dodgy boxes: Could I get in trouble for owning one after recent court cases?
Dodgy boxes are back in the news are they? They are, for a couple of reasons. A man appeared before Trim District Court on Wednesday charged with selling the boxes and other technical equipment that had the potential to deprive Sky Television of almost €750,000 in revenue, the court was told. He was jailed for 3½ years. Separately, and almost simultaneously, the same broadcaster alleged during a High Court hearing that another man may have earned up to €450,000 a year from operating a different dodgy service. So these dodgy boxes are definitely illegal are they? They are and they aren't. The dodgy boxes – or Android boxes, which is what they are properly called – are not at all illegal. What do you mean? Android is an entirely legitimate operating system that runs on multiple technologies including phones, tablets and Fire Sticks. READ MORE But if Android boxes are legit, why are all these people coming before the courts? The boxes are fine, but they can allow people to do illegal things. Apps can be easily installed that allow people to stream copyrighted content from the internet on to their televisions, tablets or phones. The people who are ending up in court are the ones selling the boxes preloaded with the dodgy apps and selling codes that give access to the platforms where copyrighted content can be found. Could a humble dodgy box owner get into trouble? I am asking for a friend. Well, Sky Ireland chief executive JD Buckley said this week that the company 'continuously evolves our investigative strategies to crack down on illegal streaming and protect consumers from risks including malware, fraud and identity theft. Further action will follow with consequences for those identified as operating illegal services and for those who watch them.' Consequence? Those who watch them? Sounds worrying. It does seem to suggest Sky would target end users of the boxes, but that may be a stretch. Knowingly circumventing restrictions and accessing copyrighted content could leave people exposed to prosecution for sure, but there are hundreds of thousands of dodgy box owners out there. Ireland's courts service, already groaning under the strain of its caseload, would probably not be delighted by moves against all of those watching copyrighted content for free. Garda sources have even expressed doubt the force would have jurisdiction when it comes to the use of such boxes, suggesting it would be a civil, rather than criminal, matter. [ Dodgy boxes and suspect streaming: can Irish viewers be persuaded away from illegal services? Opens in new window ] And this is all a Sky thing is it? No, not at all. Sky is a key player in Irish broadcast and is the pre-eminent broadcaster of many hugely popular sports, including the English Premier League. Many, many people unwilling to pay the monthly subscription costs or pay-per-view charges use the dodgy boxes to access the content for free, which is why Sky is often found front and centre in the war on illegal streamers. But there is a broader umbrella group also fighting against the tide of streamers. And who are they? They are called the Federation Against Copyright Theft ( Fact ) and they have taken multiple actions against dodgy box operators in recent years. It says many consumers are unaware that piracy networks are often linked to organised crime, with their profits potentially funding other illegal activities. The London -based group, has said they have been successful in shutting down thousands of prohibited streams, and have brought about the demise of services for those using the illegal operations. Social media profiles selling dodgy boxes have also disappeared while subscriptions have been terminated and paid settlements agreed. So that is the end of streamers is it? Hmm, it seems unlikely that the thousands of Irish homes that access movies, TV programmes and sport are just going to stop. The war on pirated content appears to be a long way from over.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Sky Television ‘seems happy to take advantage' of my trusting, elderly aunt
The idea that a television service provider would be taking well over €100 a month off people who can perhaps ill afford it without being able to adequately explain what is going on is pretty awful. But it enters the realm of appalling if those people are older, and might be struggling to get on top of their day-to-day finances. We have two stories connected to Sky Television that are strikingly similar, and involve family members seeking help for older people. 'I am writing on behalf of my elderly father-in-law,' begins a mail from a reader called Jacinta. READ MORE On October 30th last year, he had contacted Sky, as he was concerned about being charged a monthly fee of €120, she explains. 'He verbally agreed to a new monthly contract of €84.50 for six months and was told he should contact the company when that timeframe had elapsed to agree the next charges.' She says that on February 19th the charge was €85.14, and on March 18th the charge was €87.50. She says there was 'no notification of an increase'. [ Sky broadband blues: 'During the day, it stayed working. After 8pm, zilch' Opens in new window ] Then on April 16th 'the new charges were €105.80. This was within the six months period and there was absolutely no notification. On May 16th charges were €121 – an almost 50 per cent increase inside a few weeks with absolutely no notification." 'My father-in-law is in his 70s, and suffers chronic health, and talking at times on the phone can greatly exacerbate his breathing [problems]. It's not possible to email Sky, though you can call and be left usually up to 45 mins before you get to talk with someone and all that, apart from their charges. Sky can charge whatever they wish whenever they wish. Neither Comreg nor CCPC want to know as it's not their area.' Then there is the story about a woman in her 80s who appears to be paying an awful lot for very little. The story was shared with us by her nephew. 'I've an aunt in her late 80s who spent her life giving of herself to others,' begins the mail. 'She doesn't ask for much and uses TV to watch the news in her kitchen, and one other channel that's free on the internet. For quite some time she couldn't get Sky to work on the TV in the kitchen. I assumed it was because the TV was old, so I bought her a new one. The problem persists.' Our reader asked her aunt how much she pays, and whether she had the account details. 'The only information she could find was on her bank account, and she became upset as she realised how much they were taking from her account every month (average €150-plus). 'I work abroad, so rarely get the opportunity to resolve problems for her, but the week before last, after a lot of searching, managed to get through to Sky by phone. They went through security with my aunt and, after a few minutes, the call disconnected.' He says that he tried four times 'going through the same process, getting various levels of sympathy and assurances, but each time the calls eventually disconnected. This weekend I checked with my aunt. She'd received no mail or follow up of any sort,' he writes. 'My aunt's a trusting and generous person, and it seems as if Sky are happy to take advantage, deliberately make it incredibly difficult to contact them, and apparently impossible to get support.' It seems to Pricewatch that both of these people are is paying way over the odds for their television service but it also seems like they have both struggled to find out exactly what they are paying for. We contacted Sky. In connection with our first story a spokeswoman said Sky is 'committed to supporting all of its customers. In our efforts to provide fast and efficient customer support, our billing teams have maintained an average call response time of just 58 seconds year-to-date.' 'The customer in question regularly availed of promotional offers as a long-time customer with Sky. However, now that we are aware of the customer's health condition, we believe he would benefit from Sky's dedicated accessibility service, which provides tailored care and alternative contact methods to support customers who may need additional assistance. We have since outreached to the customer to support with this.' And when it came to the second story she said the company was 'sorry to hear about this customer's experience, which was unfortunately due to an initial miscommunication while resolving a technical issue. We have since spoken with the customer to apply the due credit on their account and ensure they are set up correctly.'
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Sky high prices leave readers baffled on behalf of older relatives
The idea that a television service provider would be taking well over €100 a month off people who can perhaps ill afford it without being able to adequately explain what is going on is pretty awful. But it enters the realm of appalling if those people are older, and might be struggling to get on top of their day-to-day finances. We have two stories connected to Sky Television that are strikingly similar, and involve family members seeking help for older people. 'I am writing on behalf of my elderly father-in-law,' begins a mail from a reader called Jacinta. READ MORE On October 30th last year, he had contacted Sky, as he was concerned about being charged a monthly fee of €120, she explains. 'He verbally agreed to a new monthly contract of €84.50 for six months and was told he should contact the company when that timeframe had elapsed to agree the next charges.' She says that on February 19th the charge was €85.14, and on March 18th the charge was €87.50. She says there was 'no notification of an increase'. [ Sky broadband blues: 'During the day, it stayed working. After 8pm, zilch' Opens in new window ] Then on April 16th 'the new charges were €105.80. This was within the six months period and there was absolutely no notification. On May 16th charges were €121 – an almost 50 per cent increase inside a few weeks with absolutely no notification." 'My father-in-law is in his 70s, and suffers chronic health, and talking at times on the phone can greatly exacerbate his breathing [problems]. It's not possible to email Sky, though you can call and be left usually up to 45 mins before you get to talk with someone and all that, apart from their charges. Sky can charge whatever they wish whenever they wish. Neither Comreg nor CCPC want to know as it's not their area.' Then there is the story about a woman in her 80s who appears to be paying an awful lot for very little. The story was shared with us by her nephew. 'I've an aunt in her late 80s who spent her life giving of herself to others,' begins the mail. 'She doesn't ask for much and uses TV to watch the news in her kitchen, and one other channel that's free on the internet. For quite some time she couldn't get Sky to work on the TV in the kitchen. I assumed it was because the TV was old, so I bought her a new one. The problem persists.' Our reader asked her aunt how much she pays, and whether she had the account details. 'The only information she could find was on her bank account, and she became upset as she realised how much they were taking from her account every month (average €150-plus). 'I work abroad, so rarely get the opportunity to resolve problems for her, but the week before last, after a lot of searching, managed to get through to Sky by phone. They went through security with my aunt and, after a few minutes, the call disconnected.' He says that he tried four times 'going through the same process, getting various levels of sympathy and assurances, but each time the calls eventually disconnected. This weekend I checked with my aunt. She'd received no mail or follow up of any sort,' he writes. 'My aunt's a trusting and generous person, and it seems as if Sky are happy to take advantage, deliberately make it incredibly difficult to contact them, and apparently impossible to get support.' It seems to Pricewatch that both of these people are is paying way over the odds for their television service but it also seems like they have both struggled to find out exactly what they are paying for. We contacted Sky. In connection with our first story a spokeswoman said Sky is 'committed to supporting all of its customers. In our efforts to provide fast and efficient customer support, our billing teams have maintained an average call response time of just 58 seconds year-to-date.' 'The customer in question regularly availed of promotional offers as a long-time customer with Sky. However, now that we are aware of the customer's health condition, we believe he would benefit from Sky's dedicated accessibility service, which provides tailored care and alternative contact methods to support customers who may need additional assistance. We have since outreached to the customer to support with this.' And when it came to the second story she said the company was 'sorry to hear about this customer's experience, which was unfortunately due to an initial miscommunication while resolving a technical issue. We have since spoken with the customer to apply the due credit on their account and ensure they are set up correctly.'
TimesLIVE
05-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Stella suggests Norris should have waited to tackle Verstappen
Lando Norris should have waited to make his move on Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday rather than trying to get past immediately, according to McLaren team boss Andrea Stella. Norris started on the front row alongside Red Bull's polesitter Verstappen but was forced wide by the four-time world champion at turn two and dropped back to sixth on the opening lap. He clawed his way back to second behind winning teammate Oscar Piastri, but Stella felt it could have been handled better. "The first lap, with hindsight, it would have potentially been wiser for Lando to lift and accept he would have gained the lead later on in the race because the car was fast enough, but that's with the benefit of hindsight," he told Sky Television. Norris and Verstappen nearly had a coming together later on in the race, which resulted in the McLaren driver giving back the place before later passing his championship rival to move into second. Stella insisted giving back the place was the right thing to do coming two weeks after Verstappen was given a five-second penalty when he failed to give the lead back to Piastri after going ahead through running wide. "I think that was the right thing to do because Lando, in our judgment, was outside the track limits and you have to give back the track position," said Stella. "That's a little bit of bad luck but you have to behave and behave fairly. That could have been the risk of a penalty so it was the right thing to do." Norris, meanwhile, was critical of Verstappen's approach in the race, saying he had no choice but to run wide to avoid a coming together as they vied for the lead at the start. The Briton said in his post-race interview: "What can I say? If I don't go for it, people complain. If I go for it, people complain. So, you can't win. "But it's the way it is with Max - it's crash or don't pass. Unless you get it right and you put him in the perfect position then you can just about get there. But I paid the price for not doing a good enough job today."
Perth Now
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Norris should've waited to tackle Verstappen: team boss
Lando Norris should have waited to make his move on Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix rather than trying to get past immediately, according to McLaren team boss Andrea Stella. Norris started on the front row alongside Red Bull's polesitter Verstappen but was forced wide by the four-time world champion at turn two and dropped back to sixth on the opening lap. The Englishman clawed his way back to second behind winning teammate Oscar Piastri but Stella felt it could have been handled better. "The first lap, with hindsight, it would have potentially been wiser for Lando to lift and accept he would have gained the lead later on in the race because the car was fast enough but that's with the benefit of hindsight," he told Sky Television. Norris and Verstappen nearly had a coming together later on in the race, which resulted in the McLaren driver giving back the place before later passing his championship rival to move into second. Stella insisted giving back the place was the right thing to do coming just two weeks after Verstappen was given a five-second penalty when he failed to give the lead back to Piastri after going ahead through running wide. "I think that was the right thing to do because Lando, in our judgement, was outside the track limits and you have to give back the track position," said Stella. "That's a little bit of bad luck but you have to behave and behave fairly. That could have been the risk of a penalty so it was the right thing to do." Norris, meanwhile, was critical of Verstappen's approach in the race saying he had no choice but to run wide to avoid a coming together as they vied for the lead at the start. The Briton said in his post-race interview: "What can I say? If I don't go for it, people complain. If I go for it, people complain. So, you can't win. "But it's the way it is with Max - it's crash or don't pass. Unless you get it really right and you put him in the perfect position then you can just about get there. But I paid the price for not doing a good enough job today."
