Authorities hand red card to Streameast as live sports piracy network shut down

Streameast, the popular network for pirated live streams of soccer and other sports 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 executed in collaboration with Egyptian authorities.

With its 80 associated domains, Streameast was the largest illicit live-sports streaming operation in the world, ACE said.

"With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies and fans worldwide," ACE chairman Charles Rivkin said in the announcement.

Rivkin is also chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association.

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."

McCarthy did not specify the nature of the risk for fans.

In addition to soccer, Streameast provided access to sport-specific piracy sites for American sports leagues, including 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.