More TV Viewers Are Going Rogue With These Shiny Boxes

Farmers markets and church festivals aren't just selling pickles and crafts anymore—they're part of a booming gray market, where you can also now go to get "free" TV. Per the Verge, devices like SuperBox and vSeeBox—plain-looking Android-centered streaming boxes sold for a few hundred dollars—have quietly spread across the US, promising lifetime access to live sports, premium channels, and on-demand movies without monthly fees. The boxes themselves are legal, but they're designed to be a front door to clearly illegal pirate services like "Blue TV" and "Heat," offering thousands of channels via apps that mimic Sling, Hulu, and Netflix platforms.

The Verge details a nationwide, informal distribution network of resellers—retired cops, real estate agents, even MMA fighters—who buy wholesale from opaque Chinese companies, mark up the hardware, and shrug at piracy concerns. Major TV providers are suing sellers and winning big judgments, but users, furious over ballooning cable and streaming bills, largely don't care and doubt they'll be targeted. There's also mention of the murky legal risks and security concerns—"You don't know if there is any kind of malware built into the box," one IT worker warns—but rising prices continue to nudge more people toward piracy. More here.