It’s been coming for a while, but UK Fire TV Stick owners now appear to be being hit by Amazon’s illegal stream block. This major change was first announced late last year, with the technology giant confirming it was introducing new rules to clamp down on its own-brand devices used for unofficial streaming. So-called ‘dodgy’ Fire TV Sticks have boomed in popularity over recent years, with consumers buying these devices pre-installed with software that then lets them stream premium content without paying a monthly subscription fee.

With so many people switching over to this way of watching TV, Amazon felt it had no option but to act, with the firm telling Express.co.uk, “Piracy is illegal, and we’ve always worked to block it from our Appstore.

“Through an expanded program led by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a global coalition fighting digital piracy, we’ll now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our Appstore.

“This builds on our ongoing efforts to support creators and protect customers, as piracy can also expose users to malware, viruses, and fraud.”

The ban started last November, with parts of Europe being the first to see apps being blocked.

Now it seems UK users are finally being stopped from tuning in. As spotted by the eagle-eyed team at Cordbusters, some British Fire TV Stick users are now seeing a message saying the app they are using no longer works.

“The app has been disabled because it has been identified as using or providing access to unlicensed content,” the message reads.

Right now, it’s a bit of a lottery with some users getting blocked whilst others continue to stream without issue. It seems this is dependent on the device plugged into TVs and the app that’s installed.

As time goes on, it seems more people will be affected, so this could finally be the beginning of the end for free streaming on Fire TV Sticks.

The news of this ban comes as Amazon is also blocking the installation of some apps.

As spotted by the team at AFTVnews, a new message is now popping up on the screen when Fire TV Stick owners attempt to install certain apps on their devices.

“This app has been blocked because it provides access to unlicensed content,” the message reads.

This is then followed by a link to Amazon’s support pages, where the company explains, ”To protect both customers and content creators, Fire TV disables apps that are identified as using or providing access to unlicensed content. We encourage you to explore the wide range of content options available through the Amazon Appstore.”