Kodi is no stranger to controversy.
Despite the hugely popular TV player being totally legal, it has long offered users the ability to stream content illegally via so-called add-ons.
It’s these add-ons that have caused content providers and the authorities plenty of concern with many being targeted with fines and the threat of jail sentences.
Kodi has been very vocal about how its TV Player should be used but, despite them distancing themselves from illegal streaming, the company is claiming that a major TV brand is blocking its service.
In a recent tweet posted online, Kodi revealed: “Well done @SonyElectronics for actively preventing users from installing Kodi on their newer Android TVs. How grown up of you.
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“Even their firmware in the TVs is broken. Guess we will suggest users to just buy something else that does work.”
It’s currently unclear which, if any, of Sony’s smart TVs have actually been blocked from the Kodi TV Player but in a statement to Express.co.uk the Japanese firm responded by saying: “Kodi is one of several thousand apps on Google Play on Sony’s Android TVs.
“While Sony does curate recommended apps, we cannot and do not block Google Play apps.”
Despite the claims from Kodi, some users have posted messages saying they can still access the Player with one fan tweeting: “Odd, I have two and I’m perfectly happy with them running Kodi, YouTube etc.
“Only thing that doesn’t really work is Facebook Video, but that doesn’t work anywhere properly anyway.”
The Kodi revolution shows no signs of slowing with more users attracted to the free online TV player every day.
It’s now thought that over five million Brits use Kodi with over 30 million more accessing it globally.
However, although it remains hugely popular, Kodi has seen its user base take a hit as more streamers turn to paid-for services like Netflix, researchers have said.
The study, which was commissioned last year, consulted 2,890 people based in the UK aged 12 or over who have consumed or shared content in the past three months.
Netflix saw a jump of seven per cent year-on-year among the respondents while Kodi saw a one per cent fall among those involved in the study.
The report said: “The proportion of people who only consume free content continues to fall as more services move to premium models.
“This is an indication that people are chasing the best content and are willing to pay for ease of access to it.”