Friends: The Reunion anti-piracy warning
May 27, 2021
By Colin Mann
With the much—anticipated Friends reunion streaming on NOW in the UK, on demand from 8am on May 27th, some, especially the younger generations, may be tempted to turn to piracy to watch the special episode.
Kieron Sharp, ex-police officer and CEO of intellectual property protection body FACT, is warning of the dangers of illegally streaming this televisual event.
“The Friends reunion will likely be the TV event of the year, if not the decade,” he notes. “Viewers and fans who have been waiting for almost 20 years for this could be tempted to turn to illegal streams or piracy to make sure that they don’t miss out.”
“Since Friends last aired, there has been an explosion in ways for consumers to watch movies and TV but not going to legitimate sources to watch the latest TV is not a grey area: it is against the law. As well as being illegal, evidence shows that streaming pirated content is incredibly risky and can expose users to malware and inappropriate content. Not only does that deny the best viewing experience, but it’s also just not worth taking the chance,” he warns.