Illegal sports streaming funds criminal activity and puts viewers’ personal information at risk, FACT Investigations Manager Nick Sumner warns in a new BBC InDepth feature.

Speaking to BBC International Business Correspondent Theo Leggett, Nick challenges the idea that piracy is a victimless crime: “Organised crime is behind this, and they want to make money by any means possible.”

He also warns about the misuse of viewers’ personal information: “They capture… a lot of personal data, which they can then sell for criminal gain.”

The article examines the impact of piracy on sports broadcasting and the response through enforcement, technology and consumer education.

It highlights cases supported by FACT, including Milan Ibrahim, who received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence after generating almost £1 million through illegal streaming, and Michael Barrow, who was sentenced to three years and two months after supplying almost 2,000 customers. Pub prosecutions resulting in thousands of pounds in fines also feature.

Read the full BBC InDepth feature: There’s a crackdown on sports piracy – but is it already out of control?