Notorious online soccer piracy network Streameast has been shut down after more than 1.6 billion visits in the past year, an antipiracy coalition announced Wednesday.
The United States-based Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) said the shutdown was made in collaboration with Egyptian authorities.
With its 80 associated domains, Streameast was the largest illicit live sports streaming operation in the world, ACE said.
“Today, ACE scored a resounding victory in its fight to detect, deter, and dismantle criminal perpetrators of digital piracy: by taking down the largest illegal live sports platform anywhere,” ACE chairman Charles Rivkin said in the announcement.
“With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide,” added Rivkin, who also is chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association.
The Athletic further reported that two men were arrested Aug. 24 in the Cairo region on suspicion of copyright infringement.
Authorities reportedly also discovered connections to more than $6 million in money connected to a shell company that allegedly laundered advertising revenue, plus crypto currency.
Several Egyptian real-estate properties are alleged to have been purchased with “illicit revenues,” according to The Athletic.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of copyright infringement in El-Sheikh Zaid in the Giza Governorate of Egypt — which is approximately 20 miles west of capital Cairo — and have subsequently been detained. During the raid, authorities seized laptops and smartphones suspected of operating the sites.
In addition to confiscating cash and multiple credit cards, investigators also uncovered links to a shell company in the UAE allegedly used to launder advertising revenue totalling £4.9million ($6.2m) since 2010, plus a further £150,000 ($200,000) in crypto currency. Multiple real estate properties in Egypt are also suspected of having been purchased with illicit revenues.
Streameast offered users unauthorized access to matches across Europe’s top soccer leagues.
Soccer piracy has skyrocketed over the last two decades with leagues selling their matches to high-priced pay-per-view and streaming services.
Many leagues sell to more than one broadcaster — requiring fans to pay for multiple subscriptions.
“Dismantling Streameast is a major victory for everyone who invests in and relies on the live sports ecosystem,” said Ed McCarthy, chief operating officer of the DAZN streaming group.
“This criminal operation was siphoning value from sports at every level and putting fans across the world at risk. We commend the Egyptian authorities and ACE for their action.”
In addition to soccer, Streameast provided access to sport-specific piracy sites for American sports like the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.
Site traffic to the various domains originated primarily from the U.S., Canada, Britain, the Philippines and Germany, ACE said.
All Streameast sites now redirect to the ACE “Watch Legally” page.
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