According to a report in The Mirror, a boxing fan was hit with an £85,000 demand after his Ipad was used as a device to stream a Sky Sports pay-per-view from April 2016, featuring Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko, to 4,250 people on Facebook.

Craig Foster, 34, paid  £19.95 to watch the sell-out Wembley bout on Sky at home with friends.

Foster claims that one his friends the IPad, brought up Facebook Live, and pointed it at the TV to stream the event.

Sky was able to track Foster down from a watermark of his account number which flashed up on screen during the fight.

The network cancelled his subscription – and sent him an £85,000 demand for the loss in revenue from pay-per-view sales.

“I’d paid for the boxing, it wasn’t like I was making any money. My iPad was signed in to my Facebook account and my friend just started streaming the fight," Foster told the paper.

“I didn’t think anything of it, then a few days later they cut my subscription. They’re demanding the names and addresses of all my mates who were round that night but I’m not going to give them up. I said I’d take the rap.

“They’re making an example of me. I know streaming the fight was wrong. I didn’t stop my friend but I was watching the boxing. I’m just a bloke who had a few drinks with his friends.”

Law firm Foot Anstey LLP, who represent Sky, also ordered Foster to pay £5,000 in legal costs or face court over the full amount.

The lawyers also demanded an apology “to use in education materials concerning unlawful redistribution of programmes.”

“It’s heavy-handed. I’ve apologised and told them we were drunk,” Foster said.

Neil Parkes, of Foot Anstey, said: “Mr Foster broke the law. He has acknowledged his wrongdoing, apologised and signed a legally binding agreement to pay a sum of £5,000 to Sky.”