June 2, 2026
Michael Barrow, operator of the illegal IPTV service “MB Streams”, has pleaded guilty to three Fraud Act offences for supplying access to Premier League matches and other premium content, and has been sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment at Swansea Crown Court.
Barrow admitted to running a large-scale illegal streaming operation that sold subscriptions and pre-loaded Firesticks to nearly 2,000 customers, generating more than £200,000 in illegal profits. His “MB Streams” service also distributed a wide range of third-party content beyond football matches.
The court heard that Barrow initially advertised his service through Facebook posts but changed tactics after receiving a cease and desist notice at his home. He later shifted to a referral-only model, limiting sales to trusted contacts and instructing customers to visit his home to pay in cash. In cases where payments were made online, customers were told to disguise transactions as purchases of retro football shirts in an attempt to avoid detection.
The Swansea Crown Court judge described the operation as “a large scale, highly sophisticated and prolonged commercial fraud,” adding that Barrow’s decision to ignore the cease and desist notice was a significant aggravating factor in sentencing.
