The operators of Flawless TV, which illegally streamed Premier League football matches to tens of thousands of people over several years, have been jailed for between three and 11 years, the BBC reports. The 11-year sentence was handed out to Mark Gould, who was described as the operation’s “prime mover”.

Flawless TV sold £10-per-month subscriptions – a fraction of the cost of a legitimate subscription –  which enabled customers to watch live Premier League matches, including matches kicking off at 3pm on Saturday afternoons, which UK broadcasters have been prevented from screening live, other than during some periods of the pandemic, when the restriction was lifted. They were able to stream the matches by taking feeds from countries where 3pm Saturday afternoon games are permitted, including Qatar and Australia, and then streaming them to subscribers phones and smart TVs via the Flawless service.

The prosecution followed a lengthy trading-standards investigation led by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Investigators now have the details of many of Flawless TV’s subscribers, but seem more likely to focus on seizing the money made illegally, rather than seeking to prosecute individual members of the public.