Kodi boxes are the focus of new calls to clampdown on online piracy and “stamp out” illegal streaming this year.
The Kodi surge continues without any sign of stopping, as users continue to ditch paid TV services for the online player.
Research has suggested Kodi – which offers access to thousands of channels – is being used in more than five million UK homes.
Kodi software is not illegal, but developers can produce third-party add-ons that provide free access to pirated and illegal content.
The illegal add-ons are being targeted by ISPs, government agencies, broadcasters and rights holders.
And now Kodi add-on users are the subject of new anti-piracy calls.
John Whittingdale, the former Culture Secretary, has targeted so-called Kodi boxes in a new column in the I newspaper.
The Conservative MP blasted Kodi boxes, which are created by third-party sellers, as “tantamount to theft”.
And Whittingdale said 2018 should be the year when the Government takes “action to stamp it out”.
Discussing Kodi boxes, Whittingdale wrote: “Using these devices to access infringing content is criminal behaviour, and must be treated as such. The proceeds are going straight into the pockets of criminals.
“There are many legal, safe and secure alternatives ways to enjoy content at an affordable price – and the options are only growing. If we want the best entertainment to enjoy in the future, we need to protect it now.
“Illegal streaming of copyright content is tantamount to theft and is already doing huge damage to our broadcasters, content creators and rights owners. In 2018, let’s take action to stamp it out.”
Whittingdale said the money lost through piracy was not about how it impacts Hollywood stars, but the people behind the camera and how it affects them.
And he called on the Government to act now to tackle the threat of online piracy.
Whittingdale wrote: “Researchers have suggested that Kodi box pirates are siphoning as much as $4.2 billion a year out of the creative economy in the United States.
“In the UK, the impact on television and film producers alone is estimated at around £820 million – and that figure doesn’t include losses incurred by pay TV providers and sports rights holders.
“That is cash that should be going towards developing the next Downton Abbey, or helping to fund Premier League clubs thus allowing them to support grass roots football.
“If we as a nation are serious about getting tough on the pirates, the government must get on with developing a legal framework for tackling this threat.”
It remains to be seen if the powers-that-be ramp up their efforts to tackle online piracy and the rise of Kodi add-ons in 2018.
Last year the penalties for online piracy became more severe thanks to the Digital Economy Act becoming law.
The new law raised the maximum possible sentence for online copyright infringement offences from two to 10 years.
The maximum sentence only applies to people who commit serious copyright crimes, such as distributing content.
In 2017 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) also ruled that streaming copyrighted content to a Kodi Box without the right holders’ permission is illegal.
Previously, it was only illegal to download the content.
The ECJ also ruled that selling fully-loaded Kodi Box deliberately pre-loaded with links to copyrighted content is illegal.
This verdict opened the door for the prosecution of Kodi box sellers.