How to Know if a Sports Streaming Website is Safe

There’s nothing better than watching your favorite teams and matches as it happens. Thanks to the Internet, computers, and smartphones, there are sports streaming websites that provide the latest tournaments right at your fingertips. Many sports channels offer live streams of a range of sports and even high-profile games like the Tokyo Olympics, but some of them require a paid subscription so you can watch the live games or see exclusives. 

Fortunately, there are some sports streaming websites that allow you to watch games for free. From football live streams to esports, anyone can watch live games anywhere and anytime. However, although there are legitimate free live streaming sites, there are also plenty of fake, malicious, and nonsecure sites.

Are Sports Streaming Sites Safe?

As mentioned, sports streaming sites are generally safe, but it’s undeniable that there are malicious sites as well. In fact, according to the Premier League, around a million people watch football live streams illegally. The Times also reported that league officials are taking action to block these illegal live streams. 

Since these sites will continue to scam people, the best way to deal with them is to identify them before browsing or watching on streaming sites. Also, it’s recommended to use a VPN or proxy when streaming online to keep your IP address safe. Aside from this, here are more ways to check if a sports streaming site is safe and secure.

How to Check if a Streaming Site is Safe

1. Is it a reputable site?

First of all, do you know the site? Is it from a reputable brand or channel? It’s highly recommended and encouraged to watch from a well-known channel, brand, or streaming sites such as ESPN, FOX, and others. Ultimately, watch from a site that has been acknowledged by the sports community. 

If you are viewing a streaming site for the first time, take time to research it. Know how long it has been, learn what the sports community says about it, and check who is behind the website. If a streaming site requires you to pay to watch a game, be careful with the payment details that you provide. 

Some reputable sites ask for payment since they also pay to stream the game, so this is normal. However, this still doesn’t guarantee if a site is legitimate. The best way to enjoy your game and be safe while streaming is to watch from well-known sites.

2. Does it have a lot of ads?

Have you ever gone to a free streaming site that has too many popup ads? Here’s a sad truth about products and services: if you’re not paying for it, then you’re the product. And free streaming sites often compensate for their service by flashing lots of ads. 

Unfortunately, some of these websites show malicious ads. In fact, research by Belgians from iMinds - KU Leuven and Stony Brook University, USA scanned over 23,000 streaming websites and found that around 50% of the video overlays on the site are malicious. 

If you have used various streaming sites before, this means half of it contained popup ads with malware attacks disguised as fake “close ad” buttons. Moreover, if you ever needed to download software to stream the game that you wanted, then that’s most likely malware. Remember that the simple Internet rules apply when browsing through streaming sites. This includes not clicking suspicious links or ads and downloading questionable files.  

3. Do you have any security software?

If you have security software on your device, then it will keep you safe and free from malware. You can also try to scan a website before browsing it. There are plenty of malware scanning websites available, so make it a habit to check a streaming site.

If you don’t have any security software installed and you can’t download one or scan the URL right away, one simple way to check if a streaming site is safe is to look at the left of the website’s URL. Does it have a lock icon beside it? If it does, then that means the page has an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. This technology ensures that your connection and data are safe, secure, and free from cyber threats. URLs with an SSL certificate start with HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure), which is also a good indication of a secure website.

To be extra safe, make sure to have security software installed and always be mindful of the lock icon when you enter a site for the first time.

4. What does the website look like?

Sometimes, it can be quite obvious if a site is suspicious or fake just by looking at its design and layout. Is the site well put together? Is it easy to navigate? Are the links and pages responsive? If your answer to these questions is all a “no”, then it’s best to leave and look for another site to stream your games. A webmaster that doesn’t care for the design and functionality of their website may have another agenda for that site.

A common trait that fake or malicious streaming sites have is dishonest links. These are links that trick you into opening a link. It can be an ad, a download, or other links that will make you curious or require you to click them. Also, when you click on links or buttons, malicious sites often redirected you to unrelated sites or to multiple sites, then this is a bad sign. These websites also usually contain explicit images as ads or banners to entice users to click them. Ultimately, if a website doesn’t seem right, it’s best not to keep on browsing to avoid getting any malware into your device.

5. How does the site present its content?

Legal sports streaming sites have a license to stream live games, so you can stream the game on the website itself with ease. Meanwhile, most illegal sites host live games on another site. If you find yourself redirected to another site to watch the live stream, then you better leave immediately before your device becomes a risk.

Moreover, it’s also rare for sports streaming sites to allow their users to download the raw video file after the live stream. Other sites offer offline viewing but you don’t get the video file itself. So, if you happen to download a live stream, there are three possibilities: you have downloaded an illegal copy of the live stream, you have downloaded malware or both. In all of these options, you are in danger of downloading harmful and illegal content.

Keep yourself safe and enjoy watching

Remember to ask yourself the questions above whenever you enter a new sports streaming site. These are also helpful even when you are watching non-sports-related streaming sites. Regardless of where you are browsing, keep yourself safe by installing security software and always be on the alert with the pages that you are browsing. Ultimately, think before you click!

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)