Illegal Sports Streaming Service Shut Down in Major Sting Operation
The world of sports streaming just experienced a major shake-up with the shutdown of Streameast, the largest illegal sports streaming service out there. Known for providing free access to 80 unauthorized domains, Streameast was a hub for pirated live soccer matches from the Premier League and Champions League, as well as NFL, NBA, and MLB games. In fact, according to ACE, the site drew a whopping 1.6 billion visits annually.
ACE, which is a global coalition combating digital piracy, teamed up with Egyptian authorities to carry out a sting operation on August 24 that led to the closure of Streameast. This coalition includes big names like Disney, HBO, Fox, Netflix, and Sony Pictures, all working together to protect content creators.
Following the operation, two individuals in Sheikh Zayed City were arrested under suspicion of copyright infringement and are currently in custody. During the raid, laptops and smartphones were seized, revealing ties between Streameast and a shell company in the UAE allegedly involved in laundering over $6 million in advertising revenue over the past 15 years.
While Streameast’s original domain is no longer live, there are reports of copycat sites emerging to fill the gap left by the shutdown. ACE is on the case, investigating these new sites to ensure they are not related to the now-defunct platform. The takedown of Streameast serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to combat digital piracy and protect intellectual property rights in the world of sports streaming.
