All this talk of "dodgy boxes"

A

arbitron

Registered User
Messages
795
There has been a lot of coverage of "dodgy boxes" recently. For anyone not familiar, these are devices that allow people to illegally stream TV and films.

I am bewildered at the number of estimated users in Ireland: 400,000 households!

Some of the quotes in this article are astonishing: 'Entertainment isn't just for better off people': Our readers give their views on dodgy boxes

Her main justification for using the dodgy box was that she and her partner were saving to buy a house.

She added: “Sky will be fine. Don’t forget they made post-tax profits of £96m in 2024.”
Click to expand...

“It is blatantly obvious that Sky or any of these other streaming services do not care about their customers. The prices are kicking out working-class families who just want entertainment or football, like anyone else does. These companies only care for profit,” he said.

“Entertainment and sports are not for the better-off people of D4 and well-off families.
Click to expand...

“...a lot of us would pay for subscriptions if there was one app or service that just included all the PPV events or major events for a set price over one or two apps.”

He took the view that if the likes of broadcasters, producers and sporting brands put their energy into making things more consumer-friendly, there would be less desire for dodgy boxes.

Jim added: “I also think people as a whole aren’t too bothered because the feeling is police forces should be focused on more serious issues.”
Click to expand...

So stealing services is apparently ok if you are saving for a home, if you are working class and want to be entertained, or if you find having to use more than one app inconvenient.

Some of the comments below the article are just as bizarre. Adults acting as if their human rights are being violated because they have to pay to watch a boxing match or to keep up with the Kardashians.
 
arbitron said:
So stealing services is apparently ok if
Click to expand...

No, of course its not ok but the extent to which it is occurring does point to a number of issues.

Firstly, enforcement. Dodgy boxes have been around for a long-time now and rather than their use been diminished through enforcement it would appear it is on the increase.

Secondly, the pricing and delivery of some of the packages need to be re-considered in my opinion. I'm old enough to remember when a LIVE Sports event had an aura of anticipation about it. If you didn't have Sky Sports pubs would fill to see the LIVE match/event

Now everything is LIVE, whenever and wherever, and for the most part its quite dull.

I don't use a dodgy box and subscribe to NOWTV for the Sports. Current deal is €30pm for full access. For the amount of sport I watch its actually borderline whether I think its value or not so I can understand why people would choose to obtain their TV in this way, more so if nothing will happen to them.
 
arbitron said:
So stealing services is apparently ok if you are saving for a home, if you are working class and want to be entertained, or if you find having to use more than one app inconvenient.
Click to expand...
The same people who want "their" English football team to spend tens of millions on some kid who kicks a ball don't see the link between what they get charged to subscribe and that player.

When I was short of money before the first thing that went was Sky Sports and Movies. I didn't steal them by using an illegal streaming box for the same reason I don't shoplift.
 
I hate this "D4" nonsense that gets bandied about by people who know nothing about Dublin let alone "D4". Where I went to school a lot of my classmates were from "D4"- Ringsend and Irishtown - and their parents and older siblings worked in Bolands Mills, the Irish Glass Bottle Company, on the docks, etc. Spare me your mindless prejudice please If you want a service, pay for the flaming thing you thieves.
 
There's nothing new in this attitude and it's certainly not confined to any particular class. I remember about 20-plus years ago, I was dropping my daughter to a birthday party for one of her school friends. Was chatting to the mother at the door of this very nice detached house in SCD and she mentioned that they were going to watch a then recent kids blockbuster movie on DVD, whose title I can't remember.

I casually asked in all innocence, "Oh is it out on DVD already?"

"No - we have a pirated copy," she retorted proudly.
 
Last edited:
There you have it...from the red, "everything should be free" corner:

www.independent.ie

Sky should drop ‘greedy’ legal action against dodgy-box users, TD Paul Murphy says

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has called on Sky to drop its legal action against dodgy-box users.
www.independent.ie www.independent.ie

“It is a disgrace that the courts have allowed Sky, one of the wealthiest corporations on the planet, to pursue ordinary people through the courts. Access to culture is a human right and shouldn’t be dependent on ability to pay. Sky must drop its greedy legal action.

“Culture and entertainment cannot be the preserve of profit-driven corporations. When people are being ripped off by multiple subscriptions, or the TV licence, they take what steps they can to avoid unfair charges by using a dodgy-box or not paying the licence fee.”
 
Howth Head said:
There you have it...from the red, "everything should be free" corner:
Click to expand...

I don't think that is what he is saying at all.

"Culture and entertainment cannot be the preserve of profit-driven corporations. The privatisation and defunding of public service broadcasting has been a disaster. It must be reversed and public broadcasting must be re-established." Is more reflective.

I would say I have to agree to some extent. I used to have the full Sky package, movies, sports etc and I think it was costing just over €1k per year.

When I analsyed how much actual TV I watch versus the quality of the output then I realised it is a complete rip-off. If there was one new decent movie a month to watch that would be the height of it, but usually not.

The arrival of other corporations into the sports equation to compete hasn't really done anything to reduce prices rather just allows them to have a slice of the multi-€bn contracts. UEFA even recognised the absurd amounts being spent by football clubs that we're basically relying on these lucrative contracts feeding off the subscription pig and brought in rules to limit spending.

Essentially I think its the extent of how much dodgy boxes are being used that is the red-flag for these services. They are simply way over-priced.
 
Howth Head said:
“Culture and entertainment cannot be the preserve of profit-driven corporations. When people are being ripped off by multiple subscriptions, or the TV licence, they take what steps they can to avoid unfair charges by using a dodgy-box or not paying the licence fee.”
Click to expand...

Paul Murphy should realise that the €160 TV licence fee hasn't changed in years, at least a decade.
 
Last edited:
Protocol said:
The €160 TV licence fee hasn't changed in years,
Click to expand...

Yes but just to clarify - that's not my quote. It's Paul Murphy TD saying that, as reported in the Irish Independent. (The "reply & quote" option does't differentiate between direct and third-party text.)
 
One thing I always find funny about the "users" of "dodgy boxes" and like most people we all know someone and their from all walks of life,
The ones I know are shop owners, Garda and nearly every English person I met in Spain to name a few,
Is they see no problem or issue in what they are doing and love boasting about it in private circles
but if the table was turned and they we're taxed incorrectly on their payslip or the shop/restaurant incorrectly charged them
or they got scammed by some scammer, or got a parking ticket for an expired parking ticket....

They'd be the first and loudest to tell you how they been treated unfairly!!

I do agree it's got/getting very expensive for these services these days but that's no excuse for stealing or defrauding the system
 
Sister Sara said:
When I analsyed how much actual TV I watch versus the quality of the output then I realised it is a complete rip-off.
Click to expand...
How is it a rip-off when you knew the price and received the service you paid for? You bought something you didn't use. You weren't defrauded or swindled. It was just a bad allocation of your funds.
 
Its an interesting one - and has many similarities with the Napster boom back in the 90s.

Downloading music for free - many people did and the music industry were up in arms (rightly so) and eventually, paid subscription services such as Spotify arrived and pretty much, everybody stopped downloading as these services were very good value for money, to the subscriber but not the artist.

I think the main issue with the tv subscriptions is that there are so many and if you want to watch the masters you need sub A, if you want the prem you need sub B, if you want tv series xyz then you need sub C.
Before you know it, you're 100 lids down per month

Spotify is about 12e per month or thereabouts for unlimited music and its got pretty much everything you need - no further subs required
Not sure how that can be done with tv but i think until something like that happens, "dodgy boxes" will remain in use.

Anyways, you dont even need a dodgy box - there are plenty of sites to visit for brand new movies or live streaming football.
 
Purple said:
You bought something you didn't use. You weren't defrauded or swindled. It was just a bad allocation of your funds.
Click to expand...

Yes it was a bad allocation of my funds. I never said I was defrauded or swindled. I bought a service and it did not live up to my expectations, so I cancelled it as the price I was being charged was a rip-off to the extent I was using it. The marketing people at Sky do an excellent job in fairness to them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top