It's no secret that millions of UK homes have decided to ditch their expensive monthly TV subscription and switch to so-called 'dodgy' Fire TV Sticks instead. These devices can be purchased via online marketplaces and often come fully loaded with apps and services that let owners tune into premium content for a small yearly fee or sometimes even free.

With so many people ditching official suppliers, the rise in illegal streaming has not gone unnoticed, and a new caution from Sky may be the beginning of the end for adapted Fire TV Sticks.

During a recent Financial Times Business of Football conference, Sky’s chief operating officer, Nick Herm spoke out about the issues with these devices and said Amazon needs to help put a stop to it.

“If you speak to friends and colleagues, [or] you watch football, people will know that you can get jail-broken Fire Sticks, and you can access pirated services on Fire Sticks," Herm explained.

“There are football fans who literally have shirts printed out that say Fire Sticks on them. With some of the tech giants, Amazon in particular, we do not get enough engagement to address some of those problems, where people are buying these devices in bulk."

Sky clearly wants Amazon to do more to stop the sale of pre-loaded devices, including blocking the ability to side-load apps. This open system is what allows criminals to add unofficial applications - not found on the main app stores - that can then be used to view illegal contnet online.

Amazon has since defended its position, telling the FT that it’s “providing customers with a high-quality streaming experience while actively promoting a streaming landscape that respects intellectual property rights.”

The retail giant also said it always warns users about the dangers of using unofficial providers to view content.

“On Fire TV, we’ve always encouraged our customers to use legal channels for accessing content and have included on-device warnings informing customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources,” Amazon said.

This public attack on Fire TV Sticks is like nothing we've seen before and it could open a new chapter in clamping down on illegal streaming.