Premier League warns Malaysian fans of piracy dangers in 'Boot Out Piracy' campaign

KUALA LUMPUR – The Premier League, together with its broadcast partner Astro, has launched the fifth edition of its annual ‘Boot Out Piracy’ campaign in Malaysia, highlighting the serious risks that illegal streaming poses to football fans.

Launched on Sept 29 during the Premier League and British High Commission’s Anti-Piracy Reception at St Regis Kuala Lumpur, the campaign warned that pirate websites and illicit streaming devices (ISDs) not only delivered poor viewing quality but also exposed users to malware, scams and potential legal consequences.

The Premier League and Astro have launched the fifth ‘Boot Out Piracy’ campaign in Malaysia to highlight the dangers of illegal streaming for football fans.

This year’s campaign featured big names from the Premier League, including Arsenal’s captain Martin Ødegaard, Manchester United’s winger Amad Diallo, Fulham’s striker Raul Jimenez, Newcastle United’s defender Dan Burn and Aston Villa’s fullback Matty Cash.

Together, they called on Malaysian fans to support their teams responsibly by streaming football through official platforms.

Cybercriminals often exploited pirated content to target fans with malware, phishing scams, and data theft.

In some cases, the internet connections of unsuspecting users were hijacked and linked to criminal activity.

Research by cybersecurity expert Professor Paul Watters showed that pirate websites were over 12 times riskier than mainstream sites.

He found that every pirate website contained at least one cyber threat, with nearly half of all adverts (45 per cent) promoting harmful content such as gambling and adult material.

Premier League General Counsel Kevin Plumb warned fans not to underestimate the dangers of illegal streaming.

“Illegal streaming may feel harmless, but the risks go far beyond poor video quality.

"Research conducted by cybersecurity experts continually highlights the significant dangers of using pirate websites and devices.

"Through the Boot Out Piracy campaign, we highlight that those who stream Premier League football through pirate websites and devices are in danger of exposing themselves and their family members to data theft, cyber threats, and scams, which can prove extremely costly.

"We are pleased to partner with Astro to bring this important message to fans in Malaysia and encourage fans to stream Premier League football safely and responsibly,” Plumb said.

As the exclusive Premier League broadcaster in Malaysia, Astro continued to strengthen its anti-piracy enforcement.

“Fans who legally enjoy the game should know that not everyone does the same. The sad truth is that many still choose to pirate despite the ethics and the risks that they may not even know they are taking.

"Piracy brings dangers most people do not see, from scams and data theft to malware that can compromise family safety. At Astro, we are relentless in taking action against piracy perpetrators, recovering close to RM300,000 through the courts and blocking hundreds of thousands of illegal sites, links, and pirated streams.

"These efforts are not only about protecting our business but also about keeping fans safe and safeguarding the livelihoods of everyone who works hard to bring football to our screens,” Astro Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Euan Daryl Smith said.

In the 2024/25 season, the Premier League detected more than 645,000 illegal live streams and nearly 900,000 unauthorised clips online.

Across the Asia-Pacific region, 200,000 domains were blocked. In Malaysia, Astro removed 748,000 illegal websites and social media links, shut down 580 Telegram groups with 32.2 million subscribers and removed 5,000 infringing links from video-sharing sites.

The Premier League also worked closely with Malaysia’s law enforcement to pursue legal action against pirate operators.

The reception was attended by notable guests, including His Royal Highness Tengku Panglima Perang Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu'adzam Shah, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Astro CEO Euan Daryl Smith and British High Commissioner to Malaysia Ajay Sharma CMG.

Sharma praised the campaign, and said that football has a unique power to connect people and cultures and nowhere was that more evident than in Malaysia.

“The Premier League, which is one of the United Kingdom’s (UK) most iconic cultural exports, contributes enormously towards the people-to-people ties between our two countries.

"I support the Premier League’s efforts to raise awareness about the risks around content piracy, and to highlight the importance of working with our partners in Malaysia to ensure Malaysian fans can enjoy the game safely,” he added.

The Boot Out Piracy campaign was promoted in Malaysia as well as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam across television and social media platforms in the coming months, reinforcing the Premier League’s push to protect fans from piracy-related risks.