Police probing illegal streaming services raid West Bromwich and Oldbury properties and make arrests
Two properties in Oldbury and West Bromwich have been raided as part of an investigation into illegal streaming services.
Detectives from the City of London Police's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) executed search warrants at two addresses, one in Oldbury and one in West Bromwich, and a data centre in Cheltenham during the early hours of July 3, 2025.
Officers arrested both a 30-year-old man, who they suspect ran an illegal Sky streaming service, and a 32-year-old woman on suspicion of distributing material infringing and receiving criminal property.
A business premises in West Bromwich was searched later during the day, where documents and computers were seized for further examination.
The investigation by PIPCU suggests that the man and woman received significant profits derived from the service.
The service provided illegal access to Sky channels.
Seven servers, which were used to distribute the content, were seized from the Cheltenham data centre, with police believing the seizure has caused 'major disruption' to a number of pirate services.
Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from the PIPCU at the City of London Police, said: "This activity should serve as a reminder that PIPCU will pursue criminals who seek to profit from illegal streaming and disrupt their operations.
"This is a crime that diverts funds away from the creative and entertainment industries, money that supports thousands of technical and support staff. At the same time, it exposes end users to the risks of data theft, fraud and malware."
The man and woman have since been released under investigation.
