Sports streaming website shut down following $6 million alleged scheme
A major online soccer piracy network, Streameast, has been shut down after drawing in over 1.6 billion visits in the past year, according to the United States-based Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
With 80 associated domains, Streameast was labeled as the largest illegal live sports streaming platform globally by ACE. The shutdown was a coordinated effort between ACE and Egyptian authorities to combat digital piracy.
In a statement, ACE chairman Charles Rivkin expressed satisfaction with the takedown, emphasizing the significance of this action in protecting sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide.
Recently, two individuals were arrested in Egypt on suspicion of copyright infringement, leading to the discovery of connections to over $6 million in money linked to a shell company used for laundering advertising revenue and cryptocurrency.
Moreover, authorities found evidence of illicit revenues being used to purchase real estate properties in Egypt. The arrests were made in the El-Sheikh Zaid region in Giza Governorate, near Cairo, where laptops and smartphones believed to be involved in operating the illegal streaming sites were confiscated.
Streameast, in addition to offering unauthorized access to matches from top European soccer leagues, also provided access to piracy sites for American sports like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. Traffic to the Streameast sites predominantly came from the U.S., Canada, Britain, the Philippines, and Germany.
The shutdown of Streameast marks a significant victory for the live sports ecosystem, as it curtails activities that were siphoning value from sports and endangering fans globally. The efforts to dismantle Streameast were praised by Ed McCarthy, the chief operating officer of the DAZN streaming group.
