A qualified accountant who used his financial expertise to run a quarter of a million pounds illegal streaming empire has been jailed for three years.
Nishan Silva, 34, from Blackhorse Lane in Hitchin, ran subscription-based streaming platforms under the names Andy UTV and Ultimate TV Service, offering cheap access to Sky channels, live sports, and premium content.
Silva appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, October 2, 2025 having pleaded guilty to distributing an article infringing copyright and two counts of acquiring or using criminal property.
Here’s what makes this case particularly interesting – Silva wasn’t some tech enthusiast running streams from his bedroom. He was a qualified accountant who knew exactly how to hide his tracks, using fake identities and fraudulent documents to cover up the money trail.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The financial details of Silva’s operation are quite significant. Investigators discovered that one account linked to the scheme had received £256,725.96 since it was created.
Of that amount, £125,940.99 had been withdrawn – with £20,100 transferred directly to Silva himself. The rest of the money went towards maintaining servers and keeping the illegal IPTV service running.
But Silva didn’t just collect subscription fees and hope for the best. As someone with an accounting background, he knew how to obscure where the money was going.
Transactions were processed through online payment platforms using fake personal details – a deliberate attempt to avoid detection.
Two bank accounts linked to the scheme were opened using fraudulently obtained identity documents. So on top of copyright infringement, Silva was also involved in money laundering and fraud.
Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) put it bluntly: “Silva was a highly intelligent accountant who abused both his expertise and trusted position to commit serious criminality.”
How It All Started
The investigation kicked off after Sky raised concerns about the IPTV service to the police. And if you’ve been following the illegal streaming world lately, you’ll know Sky has been particularly aggressive about going after these operations.
Investigators established that Silva’s platform had approximately 2,600 followers. The service offered cheap access to all Sky content – including what pirates always go after: live sports.
There were international channels too, which made it attractive to people who’d otherwise need multiple subscriptions to watch similar content legally.
Matt Hibbert, Sky’s Group Director of Anti-Piracy, said: “We’re grateful to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit for pursuing this case. It demonstrates the seriousness with which the courts treat these crimes.”
Silva will now face action under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which means authorities will be going after the stolen funds. His quarter-million-pound operation is going to cost him everything he made – plus three years of his freedom.
Recent IPTV Busts: The Hits Keep Coming
Silva’s case is just the latest in what’s becoming a very long list of IPTV convictions across the UK.
Back in July, Stephen Woodward from Thirsk was sentenced to three years and one month for running a £1 million operation. Woodward’s illegal streaming business – which operated through three websites including IPTV Hosting, Helix Hosting, and Black and White TV – funded quite the lifestyle.
We’re talking a £91,000 Jaguar F-Type, designer clothes, and luxury holidays.
What’s particularly brazen about Woodward’s case is that he didn’t stop after getting arrested. Whilst under investigation for IPTV Hosting, he launched two more platforms. His brother Christopher also got caught up in it, receiving a 15-month suspended sentence after pocketing £126,000 from the illegal enterprise.
Also in July, Mark Brockley was finally caught at Barcelona Airport after nearly two years on the run. Brockley operated the aFINITY IPTV service between 2014 and 2019, making around £300,000 from selling illegal access to BT Sport content (now TNT Sports).
After being sentenced to five years in his absence back in May 2023, Brockley did a runner – first to France, then Spain. He dodged multiple court hearings before his luck ran out just as he was trying to board a flight.
Earlier this year in January, Birmingham’s Gary McNally got two years and nine months for his “Each Online” service. McNally’s setup was technically quite sophisticated – he was running it on expensive business-grade broadband that cost him £420 a month. The system was designed to bounce back within 48 hours if broadcasters managed to shut it down.
During just one world championship boxing match, McNally’s service had over 2,000 subscribers. Sky reckons he illegally distributed more than 80,000 hours of television content – that’s equivalent to over nine years of non-stop viewing.
Going back to October 2023, Steven Mills from Shrewsbury was jailed for two and a half years. His operation made £1 million over five years from more than 30,000 subscribers.
Mills used custom apps on Fire TV devices to distribute Premier League matches and even made tutorial videos to help people access the streams.
What Actually Is IPTV?
There’s quite a bit of confusion around what IPTV actually means, so let’s sort that out.
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is just the technology that delivers TV content over the internet, rather than through traditional methods like satellite or cable.
Netflix is IPTV. BBC iPlayer is IPTV. Sky’s NOW service is IPTV. They’re all completely legal because they pay licensing fees to content creators.
The problem comes with unauthorised services that offer premium content at prices that seem too good to be true – because they are. These illegal operators don’t pay any licensing fees. They’re basically stealing content and reselling it for profit.
Silva’s Andy UTV and Ultimate TV Service were offering Sky channels and live sports at prices legitimate services couldn’t possibly match, because he was bypassing the entire licensing system that legal services have to work within.
Many illegal IPTV operations have relied on modified Fire TV Sticks as their distribution method – sellers would load unauthorised apps onto the devices and sell them as “fully loaded” or “jailbroken” sticks.
However, last week Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick 4K Select running its new Vega operating system, which completely locks down the device.
You can only install apps from Amazon’s official Appstore – no sideloading allowed. Sky has been pushing Amazon for months to restrict these modifications, claiming modified Firesticks account for roughly half of all Premier League piracy in the UK.
If Amazon eventually moves its entire Fire TV range to Vega OS, it could seriously disrupt how illegal IPTV services operate.
How To Spot Dodgy IPTV Services
The illegal IPTV world is getting more sophisticated, but there are still plenty of warning signs to watch out for.
Price is usually the first giveaway. If someone’s offering Sky Sports, Netflix, Disney+, and live Premier League matches all for a tenner or twenty quid a month, something’s not right. If it seems too good to be true, it is.
Watch out for “fully loaded”, “jailbroken” or “dodgy” devices. These terms almost always mean the device has been modified to access pirated content. A normal streaming stick works perfectly fine out of the box – it doesn’t need to be “jailbroken” for anything legitimate.
Payment methods matter. If a service wants you to pay with cryptocurrency, gift cards, or – like Silva’s operation – asks you to use fake personal details, they’re trying to avoid leaving a money trail that police can follow.
Where it’s being sold is a massive clue. Legitimate streaming services come through official websites, proper retailers, or app stores. If someone’s flogging a “premium IPTV package” through Facebook Marketplace, Instagram messages, or WhatsApp groups, run a mile.
Think about what’s actually possible. If a service offers movies that are still in cinemas, free pay-per-view events, or every single Premier League match (when the rights are split between multiple broadcasters), you’re definitely looking at something illegal.
It’s Not Just About Legal Risks
Detective Constable Fryatt made an important point that often gets overlooked: “This is a crime that diverts funds away from the 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.”
Beyond the risk of ending up in court, these services pose serious security issues. Illegal IPTV apps often demand extensive permissions on your devices, which could give operators access to your personal data, banking details, and everything you do online.
These services can vanish overnight, taking your money with them. There’s no customer protection, no refunds, no guarantees of anything.
The actual streaming quality is often terrible too. Buffering during the big moments in live sports, streams suddenly cutting out, rubbish video quality that makes your 4K TV pointless.
Silva’s case shows that illegal IPTV attracts all sorts – not just tech wizards, but professionals who really should know better.
His three-year sentence and having all his profits seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act sends a pretty clear message.
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