A Wirral man has been jailed for running an illegal TV streaming service.
Paul Faulker received a 16-month sentence at Liverpool Crown Court after being identified as the operator of a subscription-based IPTV service.
He was hit with a further four months for watching the pirated content himself.
The 35-year-old provided unlawful access to live Premier League football games and entertainment channels available through Sky TV in the UK.
Faulkner, from New Ferry, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to copyright and fraud offences which included accessing unauthorised content for personal use.
A joint venture between the Premier League and intellectual property group FACT tracked him down and brought legal action in a private prosecution.
The court heard that Faulker offered access to his streaming service via social media using Virtual Pirate Networks (VPN) as a secondary source of income.
Kevin Plumb, the Premier League’s director of legal services, welcomed the ruling, saying: “This sentencing demonstrates yet again that the courts take piracy crimes seriously and there are significant consequences for criminals involved in all forms of piracy.
“Legal action will be taken against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the size or scale of the pirate operation.
“This defendant was also given a separate four-month prison sentence for simply watching the unauthorised service.
“If it were needed, this should dispel any misconception that watching pirate streaming services is a grey area or is not an offence in any way.
“The Premier League’s significant financial support for the entire football pyramid and wider communities is made possible through being able to sell and protect our broadcast rights.
“We are pleased that, through judgments such as this, courts continue to recognise the importance of the protection of our copyright.”