Mobdro is the new Kodi. Maybe.

A new streaming service, called Mobdro, might be looking to snatch those users currently streaming via Kodi plugins. The service offers a way to stream content live for free, and may help users whose dodgy plugins installed that have since stopped working.

Kodi has a number of plugins which connect users with live TV over the internet. From sports to movies it's caused a big fuss. Kodi itself is perfectly legitimate and is freely-available on all sorts of platforms, and is popular on Android TV boxes. Mobdro, on the other hand, can only be sideloaded because it's not in the Play store. Sideloading requires grabbing the APK online, and installing it on your device manually.

The problem with this approach is that it requires you trust the app not to do naughty things on your phone. The risks of installing apps from the internet are considerable, but at the same time a service that's self-contained should be a bit more reliable than Kodi plugins. Mobdor says it scans the web for "free" video feeds.

Of course the service could be used for legitimate means, if there are available video feeds that are really free. The problem comes if it allows access to things like Sky Sports and other copyrighted material.

In this regard Mobdro is going to be just as popular in the world of entertainment as Kodi's dodgy plugins. And, of course, it's easier to shut down a single app by taking down websites hosting it. No doubt we'll see this happen soon, but the question will be if the app can be kept working in spite of that. After all it's hard to stop people trading a single APK file.

Anyway, it's nice to know innovation is alive and well. Another reminder that when you shut one piracy outlet another ten pop up in its place.