A new streaming service called TV Kraken has just been approved into the official Amazon Appstore for all models of the Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Edition television. I can’t find much information about the streaming service, other than what’s on their webiste, but it’s hard to believe that what they offer is legal. For just $25 per month, TV Kraken gives you access to over 500 channels which includes HBO, Showtime, Starz, and over 15,000 on-demand movies and TV shows.
The list of channels offered by TV Kraken looks like something you’d see under a top-tier package from a traditional cable provider. It includes nearly every TV network you can think of, including multiple premium networks that normally require separate subscriptions with any other OTT streaming service. TV Kraken’s subscription also includes UK channels like BBC, ITV, 4, FIVE, and SKY.
The list of what’s included for $25 per month goes on and on, which makes it almost certain that the content in the app is not legally licensed from the rights owners and content networks.
Assuming the streams provided are pirated, it’s very surprising this app made it through Amazon’s tight approval process for the Fire TV appstore. There’s a very good chance that, by the time you’re reading this, the app will have been pulled already, but it’s a good reminder that just because an app is in one of the major appstores, it doesn’t necessarily mean the service it offers is legal.
@AFTVnews
AFTVnews
I noticed that app too and I figured it wasn’t legit…especially for that price, with more channels than any of the channels that the legit services can get. But ya have to wonder? How could an app like this slip past Amazon’s approval process? Are there not human beings with common sense reviewing these apps? I would say whoever allowed this app in to begin with? Should be severely reprimanded or fired, simply for overt negligence.
I noticed one Amazon reviewer said they got US and UK channels, which is unheard of in a legal app.
https://www.facebook.com/jbfirestick/
This Facebook group claims to be behind the website and they also sell “Jailbroken Firesticks”
Odd thing for a legit company to sell.
I think we’ve already gathered that it’s not legit ;-)
If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Most of the Appstores are infested with these apps, which are just GUI-fied torrent scrappers. Some charge for the app, some require a subscription, which is even worse.
A point to consider: there’s no telling what these unscrupulous types will do once they have access to your personal information.
Caveat emptor.
If you really want to go down that road, at least go with a piracy app that admits it. :)
I would not eat too much of this sir. It smells like BullShit!
From reading the content on the website, it looks and feels very much like a Set TV reseller. Even the misspellings and the duplicated channel lists are lifted directly from Set TV.
I’m going to try the 3 day trial and see if it’s the same as Set TVs (I’m betting that it is)
It’s 100% legal, streaming content in the United States is legal, no downloading takes place within the app.
This isn’t even remotely true.
Haha, yeah. It’s like saying it’s fine to eat a candy bar in the store that you didn’t pay for, as long as you never put it in your pocket.
Actually it isn’t illegal in a lot of countries, and it’s only just now beginning to be illegal to stream only torrent content etc in certain countries.
The law didn’t really cover streaming, only downloading or uploading.. hence the popularity of Kodi I guess.
Streaming=downloading. How else do you think the video is getting to your device? It’s equivalent to downloading the show, then watching it, then deleting it.
The copy protection standard used by the cable industry differentiates between duplicating a copy to a second device and streaming the content to a second device where the physical copy does not remain available. Tivo added new functionality to their DVRs years ago to allow a copy protected show recorded on one Tivo to be viewed on another Tivo without leaving a second physical copy behind.
Torrents have the feature of “seeding” whereby the content that has been downloaded is immediately hosted by the downloading device and a new source is registered for others to download the content.
Poor analogy. A candy bar can only be consumed one time. The exact same digital content can be consumed many times. For the sake of argument, if the same candy bar could be consumed more than once, is there a law that would prevent someone from giving the candy bar away or selling it?
FYI- This is a rebranded app that is actually S***. Save yourself $5 a month if you want to use it and sign up directly with S***. S*** is an IPTV service and the quality is pretty good. It does provide access to US and foreign networks along with premium networks and several sports networks.
Definitely a pirate app. I recognise some of the pirate supplier watermarks.
By pirate IPTV standards, overpriced and nowhere as reliable. I’m really surprised this app has got through, although some ‘free’ IPTV apps slip through the Play Store too.
There are already several IPTV apps in the Amazon app store that promote “less than ethical” streaming. Most don’t openly advertise it the way this one does but rather when you download the app instructions are provided on how to obtain plugins to illegal streams.
It will never end, I wouldn’t waste my time on them. And, just an FYI, none of these apps begin with the letter “K” (just want to make the point about it before the name comes up again and again!)
I’m too cheap to even spend 25.00 a month, but if you are willing and this works and gives you all that the app claims why be so indignant about the app being in the store? Surely Amazon has reviewed the app, but if not and it turns out to be shady they will pull it and all you would have lost is 25.00. I might try the free trial. You can be sure the content providers will take notice and let Amazon know if there is piracy.
And it has now been removed… But the app still remains visible on my FireTV. It also loads, but since I never got the free code all it does is tell me I need a code.
There’s another issue here, and it’s an extension of the ‘piracy’ label. There are currently a few other such apps in the Store, such as Channel Pear and the various single channel apps, that may or may not be ‘piracy’. It is conceivable that Amazon might not even know the difference (after all, they also have apps for DirectTV Now and PlayStation Vue, which are legal). Or it slipped thru because of the holidays. I am willing to bet that the very term of piracy might have different meanings to people; if you stream HBO Now without an agreement, yep, that’s piracy. But who is going to take the time to investigate this completely? Are you going to ask for some sort of proof that you have such an agreement? And what does that do for apps that are already in the store like the ones I just mentioned? It does open up quite a can of worms. By the way, I never heard back from the TV Kraken folks about my so-called ‘free’ trial…
Oh, and if we’re going to be complete, Pluto TV – an app that has been out there for a long time – would have to be considered if they were guilty of being a ‘pirate’
Pluto TV uses licensed content. In the past, they use to just curate YouTube/Vimeo videos.
Perhaps the executives at TV Kraken are in possession of compromising boudoir photos of Jeff Bezos.
Gotta get a new name.
It’s gone.
It seems alot like SetvNow
So, its all ok when an American company like Hulu live rips you off and go into your bank account with authorization and takes your money! STFW Kraken charges $25 a month for live TV WGAF? And who are you working for what is it of your business if these people are saving people money and giving a lot of channels? Are you angry because they didn’t cut you in on the the deal?
Hulu is a ripoff! Never give them your CC info! They will take your money and never give it back””!
Without Authorization!