Kodi shock as despite bans and fines, Google reveals this full Sky Sports streaming guide

Kodi use continues to grow in the UK with millions of viewers now switching to the TV Player to watch programmes online.

It’s not illegal to use Kodi but the software can be easily adapted, via add-ons, to allow content to be viewed illegally for free.

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This free streaming has become a major issue for broadcasters and rights holders with many actively trying to prevent consumers watching without paying for a subscription.

The Premier League began a campaign earlier this year with a High Court Order allowing them to force UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block servers that are hosting illegal streams of its matches.

A similar order was obtained for the final two months of the 2016/17 season and was highly effective, with more than 5,000 server IP addresses blocked that had previously been streaming illegal Premier League content.

Confirming the blocks were working, Premier League Director of Legal Services, Kevin Plumb told the BBC: “This blocking order is a game-changer in our efforts to tackle the supply and use of illicit streams of our content.”

And a Sky spokesperson added: “We are in the middle of a significant shift in tackling this type of piracy, a fightback that is making it harder and harder for people to stream content illegally. 

“Last season’s action by the English Premier League had a significant impact on traffic to illegal streams of live football matches, and we welcome the decision to allow this crack down to continue in the coming season.”

However, despite the ban it seems Kodi users are still able to find illegal streams and Google appears to be helping them.

Express.co.uk has performed a simple Google search for the keywords, “Sky Sports channels”, with it revealing a full guide to streaming via Kodi illegally without having to be redirected to a third-party website.

The result was served by Google’s Knowledge Graph which the US tech firm uses to enhance its search engine’s results via automated algorithms.

The Google Knowledge Graph was launched in May 2012 and aims to give users quick facts about people, places and things they want to know.

With the Premier League working so hard to stop illegal streams it may come as a big surprise to find Google revealing such simple tips for Kodi users.

The guide even gives step-by-step instructions on how to install add-ons which will then give users full access to any illegal streams that become available.

In a statement to Express.co.uk a Google spokesperson said: “These results are generated algorithmically based on what people online are searching for.

“In this case, they do not reflect what we had in mind for this feature, and we are looking into it.”

This isn’t the first time Google has come under pressure for showing search results that could include illegal content.

TorrentFreak recently discovered that Google results in the US were highlighting popular pirate websites.

A simple search for “streaming sites” would reveal pirate companies alongside legitimate providers such as Crackle or Hulu.

This latest news comes as blocks to add-ons for Kodi, as well as restrictions on torrent repositories like The Pirate Bay, have failed to stop a significant number of users from watching content illegally.

Some 47 per cent of those who watch content online illegally have not been perturbed by the recent blocks and restrictions, an exclusive survey for Express.co.uk has revealed.

The survey was conducted by price comparison site Finder.com – the biggest comparison site in Australia, which launched in the UK back in February 2017.

It surveyed some 2,000 adults from across the UK.

According to the research, the recent efforts to blocks Kodi Box add-ons and torrent sites have stopped 52 per cent of those who watched paid-for content illegally from pirating in future. Meanwhile, more than 47 per cent haven’t been put off by the new restrictions and penalties in place in the UK.