Latest news with #SkyGroup
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Major warning issued to people using kit like Amazon Fire Sticks illegally
There are an estimated 17 million people in Europe using pirated TV services. Estimates of the cost vary between £900million and £21billion a year. A single pirate stream of a high-profile football match could have tens of thousands of viewers Illegal streams of live sport via kit like Amazon's £25 Fire Stick are used by criminals to steal credit card details and infect users' devices with malware. A new report by Enders Analysis says pirated video was an 'enticing store front' used by crooks and accused big tech of not doing enough to tackle 'industrial scale theft'. It found that illegal streams are now used by one in eight people aged 16 to 24 and called combating it a 'formidable challenge'. It accused big tech firms of 'a combination of ambivalence and inertia' by failing to shore up security while 'simultaneously steering consumers to illegal services'. The report described three things that allow piracy to flourish. The first is 'opportunistic' restreaming of live events via social media, while the second uses streaming services to implant malware to the viewer's device. The report said: 'Pirated services are part of sustained efforts, mostly by organised crime, to gain access to consumer data and online identity, infect devices with malware and enrich their criminal enterprises.' The third is paid-for pirate TV via devices like the Fire Stick, which 'masquerade as legitimate operators' There are an estimated 17 million people in Europe using pirated TV services. Estimates of the cost vary between £900million and £21billion a year. A single pirate stream of a high-profile football match could have tens of thousands of viewers. Amazon's Fire TV Stick is branded a 'piracy enabler' in the report. The device, which plugs into a TV and allows access to thousands of legitimate services, is also being used to illegally stream big events. Enders found that viewers do not need to 'search the darkest corners of the web' as services are 'openly marketed and promoted'. Amazon said it had made changes to Fire TV to make it harder to stream pirated content and warns customers against 'sideloaded apps '. A spokesman said: 'We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources.' Nick Herm, Sky Group COO, said: 'It's a serious issue for anyone who invests in creating and delivering world-class content. We'd like to see faster, more joined-up action from major tech platforms and government.'
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Millions of Sky and Virgin customers warned of four TV changes coming to screens ahead of major channel closure
SKY and Virgin customers should expect a number of changes coming to the TV guide this week - right before a major channel closure happening next month. The line-up is routinely overhauled to make way for closures, new arrivals, as well as rebrands. 1 Sky Q boxes in particular have already received some big switches this week. On Tuesday, more than 30 radio stations were shifted around on the TV guide for the first time in years. Later this week, there are yet more changes on the way for some Sky and Virgin viewers, depending on your subscription. And early next month there's a channel closure that will impact all platforms. This week's changes take place on Friday and affect Sky Cinema. Sky Cinema regularly changes up the channel names to reflect special themes and events. From Friday, there are four to watch out for. Sky Cinema Hits, Sky Cinema Action, Sky Cinema Drama and Sky Cinema 80s will all disappear temporarily. They'll be replaced by Sky Cinema Blockbusters, Sky Cinema Karate Kid, Sky Cinema Pride and Sky Cinema Romance respectively. For those who need a reminder of the channel numbers, they are as follows: Sky Cinema Blockbusters - Sky 303 / Virgin 403 Sky Cinema Karate Kid - Sky 307 / Virgin 407 Sky Cinema Pride - Sky 310 / Virgin 410 Sky Cinema Romance - Sky 302 / Virgin 402 The 1% Club players stumped on tricky maths question as 13 players pass - but could you have got it right- Channel closure Early in June a channel will sadly close after more than 10 years on air. Fortunately, a replacement has been lined up already. Reality TV destination ITVBe is disappearing from every platform, including Sky and Virgin, as well as Freeview, Freesat and Freely too. The biggest ITVBe shows, like TOWIE, will move to ITV2. Meanwhile, ITV is filling the vacant slot with a new channel called ITV Quiz. ITV shows a number of popular game shows such as The Chase, Tipping Point, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, The 1% Club and Deal or No Deal - though it's not clear which will appear on ITV Quiz. ITV has confirmed to The Sun that ITVBe will close and be replaced by ITV Quiz on June 9. More channel closures 'inevitable' An industry expert told The Sun that more channel closures are likely in 2025 and beyond. "This is inevitable, more broadcasters will cull broadcast/linear TV channels as viewers are flocking to streaming services," Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight said. "The big TV switch off is around the corner, with all programming set to be delivered via the internet. "Viewers are now spoilt for choice with how and where they watch the TV shows they love across a range of connected devices. "To respond, broadcasters need to be prepared and work more closely with telecom providers to ensure a seamless experience for users." Image credit: Getty
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Miami man pleads guilty to stealing millions from Venezuelans for wedding at French chateau
A Miami businessman who stole millions of dollars from hundreds of investors — spending some of the money on a luxurious wedding at a chateau in France — faces about eight years in prison at his sentencing in August after pleading guilty to a wire-fraud conspiracy. Efrain Betancourt Jr., a dual citizen of the United States and Colombia, obtained about $66 million from more than 600 Venezuelan-American investors in the Miami area that he churned through his payday loan company, Sky Group USA, over a five-year period, according to a plea agreement filed last week. Of that total, his company made about $12.2 million in consumer loans, but he and other employees spent the rest of the investors' money on operating costs, sales agent commissions and personal expenses, according to a factual statement filed with the plea agreement. Betancourt, 36, who was born in Venezuela and grew up in the Miami area, pocketed more than $6.5 million that he spent on his French Riviera wedding as well Caribbean vacations, expensive jewelry, a private plane and a luxury high-rise condo on Biscayne Boulevard, the statement said. Betancourt, the former Sky Group CEO, will likely be ordered by U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles to pay a forfeiture of $8.3 million as part of his sentencing, a higher loss figure that includes additional credit card expenses, according to federal prosecutor Roger Cruz. He plans to dismiss six wire fraud counts in Betancourt's indictment at his sentencing. Betancourt has been in federal custody since his arrest last November by FBI agents at Miami International Airport, after Cruz argued he was a flight risk to Latin America or the United Arab Emirates. Betancourt, represented by defense attorney Sam Rabin, cut his plea deal in Miami federal court last Wednesday — about three years after he and his company reached a civil settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC lawyers accused him of using his payday loan business to swindle investors, and a federal judge ordered him and his company to pay back more than $39 million. 'Ponzi scheme' But since the settlement agreement that he and Sky Group struck with the SEC, Bentacourt's investors have received nothing for their losses, according to authorities. Both the SEC and federal prosecutors accused Betancourt of operating a 'Ponzi scheme' that began in 2016 by selling promissory notes to investors with promises of double- and triple-digit annual returns. Some investors were paid back in part, but most were not, leaving a huge debt after Sky Group imploded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Betancourt's scheme collapsed when countless borrowers defaulted on their payday loans during the pandemic. His company, Sky Group, incurred a severe cash-flow problem and was unable to make interest payments on investors' promissory notes. 'Never paid a dime' A Miami lawyer representing three investors who won civil arbitration cases against Betancourt said he brought the investment scheme to the SEC's attention five years ago. 'He never paid a dime to resolve the claims,' attorney Richard Diaz told the Miami Herald. 'My clients and I are looking forward to personally attending his sentencing to express to the judge the gravity of his greed and fraud, which economically devastated, not just hurt, many families.' Cruz, the prosecutor, wrote in court papers that 'millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds directly obtained by this defendant have disappeared, were funneled by him to his wife and other family members, and have otherwise been transferred oversees.' Buys luxury condo at Epic: feds According to the SEC, Betancourt misappropriated investors' money for his personal use, including costs associated with buying a $1.5 million condominium at Epic Residences on Biscayne Boulevard and for service on his personal Piper airplane. Betancourt was also accused of transferring at least another $3.6 million to friends and family, including his ex-wife, Angelica Betancourt, and to EEB Capital Group LLC for 'no apparent legitimate business purpose,' SEC officials said. That company's bank accounts were controlled by Efrain Betancourt and his current wife, Leidy Badillo. In a SEC settlement in 2022, EEB Capital agreed to pay $2.2 million toward the judgment against Sky Group and Efrain Betancourt. Angelica Betancourt argued that she only earned an annual salary of $60,000 from the payday loan company, according to court records. But in 2022, she also agreed to pay about $1.1 million toward the judgment against Sky Group and her ex-husband..
The Sun
06-05-2025
- The Sun
Sky issues update after customers complain of TVs going blank due to ‘frustrating' glitch
SKY has issued an update after a small number of Sky customers reported issues with their TV leaving some channels blank or showing a mysterious error message. The "frustrating" bug appears to affect some Sky Glass TV s, the company's internet-streamed product. And at the moment there doesn't appear to be a permanent fix, only temporary workarounds. The first reported issue dates back to mid-April, when a viewer said channels fail to load and shows a technical fault alert on screen. Others see a "please wait for your programme to load" message. "If i take the plug out and plug it back it it seems to then work but has gone blank screen with sound a few times," the person wrote on Sky 's forum. "I had an issue a couple of days ago with the screen going black but could still hear the programme playing," a second user commented. Fast forward to today and the issue seems to persist, with the small number of people affected losing their patience. "I reported the issue with Sky, I've completed the form on here several times but I'm so fed up with this, I've sent a complaint email to Sky," one viewer said. "Another day, another reset - getting tedious now . . ." another added. On May 2, a Sky rep updated viewers saying support teams "continue to investigate this issue". But a spokesperson has told The Sun it is being looked at "as a priority". "We're aware of a technical issue which we believe is impacting a small number of Sky Glass customers," Sky said. "We're investigating this as a priority and are sorry for any inconvenience caused." What's causing the issue? By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun It's easy to think that an issue like this might be because of your internet connection. That's what I thought was happening to my Sky Glass when this problem first happened - though fortunately resetting seems to have fixed mine. We don't know the exact cause as yet but problems like this usually happen due to a faulty software update. And it seems to be limited to a small number of people too. Experts at Sky will be working away trying to find the source of the problem to repair it and put out a new update that brings everything back to normal.
