The Largest Illegal Sports Streaming Service Streameast Shut Down in Major Sting Operation
The massive sports broadcasting piracy network known as Streameast has been shut down following a year-long investigation by a US-based anti-piracy coalition. The platform was the largest illegal sports streaming service in the world, providing its users with free access to over eighty unauthorized domains. This enabled widespread piracy of live soccer matches from major leagues like the Premier League and Champions League, in addition to popular US sports including NFL, NBA, and MLB games. According to the investigating group, the site received a staggering 1.6 billion visits annually.
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE, which calls itself the world’s leading content protection coalition focused on fighting digital piracy, worked in cooperation with Egyptian law enforcement to execute a sting operation on August 24. The ACE coalition includes more than fifty major global entertainment companies and studios, such as Disney, HBO, Fox, Netflix, and Sony Pictures.
As part of the operation, two men located in Sheikh Zayed City, which is part of the Greater Cairo urban area, were arrested on suspicion of copyright infringement and have been detained. Authorities seized laptops and smartphones during the raid. Investigators reportedly uncovered connections between the Streameast operation and a shell company based in the United Arab Emirates. This entity is alleged to have been used to launder advertising revenue exceeding six million dollars over the past fifteen years.
The original Streameast domain is no longer active. However, it is reported that a number of copycat sites have already emerged, attempting to take the place of the defunct streaming giant. ACE has stated it is aware of these new sites and is actively investigating any potential connections to the original piracy ring. The shutdown represents a significant victory for content creators and rights holders in the ongoing battle against digital piracy.
