World's largest pirated sports website shut down

Streameast has been officially shut down after a year of investigation, ending a network of 80 domains with billions of visits per month.

Streameast, a website that pirated dozens of tournaments and many sports , was shut down after an investigation. Photo: Reuters .

Streameast, the world's largest illegal sports streaming platform, has been officially shut down after a year of investigation, according to an announcement from the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).

In a report to The Athletic , ACE said the operation, coordinated with Egyptian law enforcement, took place on August 24, marking a major turning point in the fight against online piracy.

Streameast operates a network of over 80 domains, generating over 1.6 billion visits in the past 12 months. The site offers free streaming of top European football matches such as the Premier League and Champions League, as well as other major leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, MMA and Formula 1. It receives an average of 136 million visits per month, mainly from the US, Canada, UK, Philippines and Germany.

“This is a major victory in our ongoing efforts to identify and dismantle illegal broadcasting networks. This action not only protects the leagues and entertainment companies, but also serves the interests of sports fans around the world,” said Charles Rivkin, President of ACE and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Two men were arrested in the Egyptian city of El-Sheikh Zaid on suspicion of running the Streameast system. Police seized laptops, phones, cash, credit cards and evidence that money was laundered through a front company in the UAE. The amount of advertising money laundered is estimated at £4.9 million ( $6.2 million ) since 2010, not including $200,000 in cryptocurrency.

Egyptian police arrest two men suspected of running Streameast. Photo: ACE .

Ed McCarthy, CEO of DAZN Group, said that removing Streameast helps protect the value of professional sports. “This criminal activity not only causes financial loss but also threatens the safe experience of fans around the world ,” he said.

Although the original Streameast domain has been shut down, many “clone” sites have appeared on online forums claiming to continue offering free services. ACE said it is monitoring and investigating these platforms.

According to a recent survey by Brand Finance, 43% of 14,000 fans in 13 countries admitted to considering using pirated streaming sites to save money on watching sports, a figure that shows that demand is still very high, despite legal and cybersecurity risks.

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