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Sky has sent cease-and-desist letters to around 200 users of illegal streaming devices in Ireland, warning them they face court action if they fail to stop watching content without a subscription.

Each letter sets a fortnight's deadline for the recipient to put in writing that they will cease all illegal streaming activity. Those who ignore the letters or break their promise could face an injunction, damages and the recovery of Sky's legal costs.

The letters are the direct result of a landmark Irish High Court decision in March, when a judge ordered that the personal details of more than 300 suspected illegal streamers be disclosed to the broadcaster. Sky had taken civil action against the digital bank Revolut, having identified 304 of its customers who had made payments to sellers of pirated streaming access.

Sky obtained the information through a Norwich Pharmacal order, a legal mechanism that allows details to be obtained from third parties who have become unwittingly caught up in wrongdoing.

A Sky spokesperson told the Irish Times: "Sky can confirm it has issued a first wave of cease-and-desist letters to c.200 individuals who paid for an unlawful subscription to the illegal IPTV is Easy service. Where an individual does not engage with us following receipt of this letter, Sky is prepared to pursue legal action. This may include seeking an injunction, damages arising from the infringement, and recovery of legal costs."

Sky told recipients it believed they had purchased a subscription "providing access to an app and/or streaming device (such as modified Amazon Fire TV Sticks or similar) that allows people to watch Sky channels (and others) without having a Sky subscription," adding: "This is illegal as Sky owns the legal rights to the Sky channels."

Daily Mail Sport has reported recipients were instructed to treat the correspondence as a "legal letter" and ordered "to stop using illegal IPTV services and to turn off your access to any such services immediately."

Both types of device work by running unauthorised software that unlocks paid-for channels - including Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Disney+ - without the user holding a legitimate subscription. The use of such devices is classified as a "serious crime," with police forces across the UK and Ireland and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) actively targeting those who continue to watch unauthorised content.

Many UK-based illegal streaming accounts draw on feeds from Irish Sky boxes, according to Daily Mail Sport. Sky, which spends billions on Premier League broadcasting rights, operates its own dedicated in-house piracy team.

Beyond the legal exposure, police have warned that buying dodgy boxes and illegal Fire Sticks "often helps fund organised crime." Security risks are also a significant concern - the software running on these devices has repeatedly been found to harvest sensitive personal data, with users' financial information among the details at risk.