Ten years ago, it was easy to spot pirated movies or TV shows. The quality was low and often the sites promoting the content were clearly not official. Or, maybe, you used Torrents to download movies.
Now it is becoming increasingly difficult because not only are the sites extremely professional in appearance, they are also charging. And, from customer support to official-looking names, these services look.
How confusing is it becoming? Just this week Tenga, the owner of many local TV stations, posted a story on their sites promoting an Android TV that, according to their story, is better than the Apple TV and allows you to “Watch hundreds of free movies and TV shows.” How do they give you access to hundreds of free movies and TV shows? Through an app on the device called Show Box, an app that was sued early this year for offering illegal access to some movies and TV shows.
Even on the ShowBox website, there is a disclaimer saying “Show Box is NOT a legitimate software application for watching copyright protected movies. The movie studios will be able to see your IP address and your COMPLETE viewing history! (Do you really want the movie studios knowing the types of videos you like?) You will very likely be sued for copyright infringement. It is not worth the trouble! You can use Best Legal apps (alternatives) like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.”
When you watch the full review of the Android box on YouTube from the same person who did the Tenga review, Show Box seems to be a legit way to get free movies and TV shows. When we contacted Tenga for comment, they replied, “No comment.” Our request for comment from The Deal Guy went unanswered.
With companies like Tenga posting videos promoting devices with Show Box as better than the Apple TV it is understandable as to how the average person is becoming confused.
Set TV was similar: An extremely professional-looking website with tech support offering access to a ton of live TV channels for $20 a month. Again though they faced a lawsuit for piracy and ended up shutting down and were ordered to pay Dish $90 million in damages.
To this day many readers tell us they thought Set TV was legal. It looked professional and offered a US address with customer support.
In 2018, content companies have turned their sights on services like Show Box and Set TV. How effective their lawsuits will be is unknown. For now, though, if you are looking at streaming services it may be best to remember if it sounds to good to be true…
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