Sandvine: 70% of Kodi boxes set up for pirated content

An example of the jailbroken 'fully loaded Kodi' devices it is possible to buy online

An example of the jailbroken ‘fully loaded Kodi’ devices it is possible to buy online

Some 68.6% of North American households with Kodi boxes also have unofficial add-ons configured to access unlicensed content, according to research by Sandvine.

The broadband network solutions firm said that 8.8% of US and Canadian homes have at least one device in their household with an active Kodi installation.

Overall, the study estimated that some 6% of all households in North America have a Kodi device configured to access unlicensed content.

Kodi, formerly known as XBMC, is an open source media player that allows users to view local and remote videos on PCs, set-top boxes, smartphones, and tablets.

The Kodi name has become associated with streaming of unlicensed content due to the availability of “fully-loaded” Kodi boxes that contain unofficial add-ons and modifications, giving users free access to premium content – such as live sports and new-release films.

“Kodi is often referred to by name as the root of the unlicensed content streaming problem, but the true roots of the problem appear to be the illegitimate video service providers and file hosts who are making a profit by enabling access to unlicensed content,” said Sandvine’s chief technology officer, Don Bowman.

The Sandvine report is based on data collected from a number of tier-1 fixed access networks in North America.

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