We analysed a total of 20 sites in the study, of which 12 “game sites” were analysed in greater detail for the duration of the Cup Final. This was not meant to be an exhaustive study, but rather focused on getting a snapshot of the dangers involved in spending 90 minutes illegally streaming a match online. Sites streaming pirated sports, specifically the English football “free-to-view” sites, were the subject of an April 2021 Webroot study on the week of the Carabao Cup final game between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. There is a sizable online community that shares bootlegged movies, TV and live sports streams without copyright protection over HTTP/HTTPS. In terms of sports, European football is the most commonly pirated, making up more than a quarter of all illegal sports streams according to one recent study. Piracy is widespread and – ethical issues aside – makes for an interesting case study from a threat research perspective. Not everyone agrees with paying for the latest episode or album, however, and this rise has ran parallel with a rise in digital piracy. The COVID pandemic has led to a surge in content consumption as people stayed home and turned to Netflix, Youtube and other streaming services for entertainment. Manchester City win the Carabao Cup Final, many illegal streamers lose Threat Research Analyst, and Colin Maguire, Web Content Specialist.

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