“World’s biggest illegal sports streaming platform” Streameast shut down by global anti-piracy group ACE and Egyptian authorities
4 Sept 2025
Author
Martin Croft
PR & Communications Manager
Global anti-digital piracy group the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to shut down what was allegedly the world’s largest illegal sports streaming service, Streameast, after an investigation lasting a year.
The story broke on US sports website The Athletic, owned by the New York Times, and has been picked up by multiple news outlets around the globe.
In a statement issued by ACE, Charles Rivkin, Chairman of ACE and Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), says: “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 members include more than 50 of the world’s biggest entertainment creating companies, including all the major streaming channel operators (such as Amazon, Netflix, Disney and Sony), plus national TV broadcasters (including the BBC) and film and animation studios. The body, which launched in 2017, has successfully shut down a number of major illegal streaming services.
ACE says it worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to disrupt the service which was taken down at the end of August.
News reports say Streameast apparently generated 1.6 billion visits over the past year, with an average of 136 million visits a month.
Streameast and its domains offered users unauthorized access to matches from Europe’s top soccer leagues, including England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and Portugal’s Primeira Liga. The piracy network also provided illicit access to UEFA club competitions (Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, among others) and international qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro and UEFA Nations League, and CONMEBOL Copa America. The United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) and domestic cup competitions were also among the matches that were streamed illicitly.
It also offered illegal streams of US National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) matches, as well as pirated access to pay-per-view events, such as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights.
Site traffic to the various Streameast domains mainly came from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Philippines and Germany. All Streameast domains will now redirect visitors to the ACE “Watch Legally” page.
News reports say two men were arrested in Egypt as part of the operation, with authorities reportedly confiscating laptops and smartphones that were used in operating the site. The investigation also identified a shell company which was used to launder advertising revenue, which was then invested in property around Egypt.
The investigation also involved Europol, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the US National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre.
Following the raid, Streameast's original platform and related domains are no longer available, although there are reports that "copycat" sites have already popped up; ACE is currently investigating these sites.
Not all consumers are happy with the takedown, particularly given the timing – the first match of the 2025 US National Football League season is today (04/09/25), with defending champions the Philadelphia Eagles at home to the Dallas Cowboys.
Many fans have taken to social media (anonymously) to complain about losing their access to their favourite sports events, rail against the charges for streaming sports, and to ask for suggestions for alternative illegal streaming sites that are still operating.
Global anti-digital piracy group the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to shut down what was allegedly the world’s largest illegal sports streaming service, Streameast, after an investigation lasting a year.
The story broke on US sports website The Athletic, owned by the New York Times, and has been picked up by multiple news outlets around the globe.
In a statement issued by ACE, Charles Rivkin, Chairman of ACE and Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), says: “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 members include more than 50 of the world’s biggest entertainment creating companies, including all the major streaming channel operators (such as Amazon, Netflix, Disney and Sony), plus national TV broadcasters (including the BBC) and film and animation studios. The body, which launched in 2017, has successfully shut down a number of major illegal streaming services.
ACE says it worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to disrupt the service which was taken down at the end of August.
News reports say Streameast apparently generated 1.6 billion visits over the past year, with an average of 136 million visits a month.
Streameast and its domains offered users unauthorized access to matches from Europe’s top soccer leagues, including England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and Portugal’s Primeira Liga. The piracy network also provided illicit access to UEFA club competitions (Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, among others) and international qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro and UEFA Nations League, and CONMEBOL Copa America. The United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) and domestic cup competitions were also among the matches that were streamed illicitly.
It also offered illegal streams of US National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) matches, as well as pirated access to pay-per-view events, such as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights.
Site traffic to the various Streameast domains mainly came from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Philippines and Germany. All Streameast domains will now redirect visitors to the ACE “Watch Legally” page.
News reports say two men were arrested in Egypt as part of the operation, with authorities reportedly confiscating laptops and smartphones that were used in operating the site. The investigation also identified a shell company which was used to launder advertising revenue, which was then invested in property around Egypt.
The investigation also involved Europol, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the US National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre.
Following the raid, Streameast's original platform and related domains are no longer available, although there are reports that "copycat" sites have already popped up; ACE is currently investigating these sites.
Not all consumers are happy with the takedown, particularly given the timing – the first match of the 2025 US National Football League season is today (04/09/25), with defending champions the Philadelphia Eagles at home to the Dallas Cowboys.
Many fans have taken to social media (anonymously) to complain about losing their access to their favourite sports events, rail against the charges for streaming sports, and to ask for suggestions for alternative illegal streaming sites that are still operating.
Global anti-digital piracy group the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to shut down what was allegedly the world’s largest illegal sports streaming service, Streameast, after an investigation lasting a year.
The story broke on US sports website The Athletic, owned by the New York Times, and has been picked up by multiple news outlets around the globe.
In a statement issued by ACE, Charles Rivkin, Chairman of ACE and Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), says: “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 members include more than 50 of the world’s biggest entertainment creating companies, including all the major streaming channel operators (such as Amazon, Netflix, Disney and Sony), plus national TV broadcasters (including the BBC) and film and animation studios. The body, which launched in 2017, has successfully shut down a number of major illegal streaming services.
ACE says it worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to disrupt the service which was taken down at the end of August.
News reports say Streameast apparently generated 1.6 billion visits over the past year, with an average of 136 million visits a month.
Streameast and its domains offered users unauthorized access to matches from Europe’s top soccer leagues, including England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and Portugal’s Primeira Liga. The piracy network also provided illicit access to UEFA club competitions (Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, among others) and international qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro and UEFA Nations League, and CONMEBOL Copa America. The United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) and domestic cup competitions were also among the matches that were streamed illicitly.
It also offered illegal streams of US National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) matches, as well as pirated access to pay-per-view events, such as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights.
Site traffic to the various Streameast domains mainly came from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Philippines and Germany. All Streameast domains will now redirect visitors to the ACE “Watch Legally” page.
News reports say two men were arrested in Egypt as part of the operation, with authorities reportedly confiscating laptops and smartphones that were used in operating the site. The investigation also identified a shell company which was used to launder advertising revenue, which was then invested in property around Egypt.
The investigation also involved Europol, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the US National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre.
Following the raid, Streameast's original platform and related domains are no longer available, although there are reports that "copycat" sites have already popped up; ACE is currently investigating these sites.
Not all consumers are happy with the takedown, particularly given the timing – the first match of the 2025 US National Football League season is today (04/09/25), with defending champions the Philadelphia Eagles at home to the Dallas Cowboys.
Many fans have taken to social media (anonymously) to complain about losing their access to their favourite sports events, rail against the charges for streaming sports, and to ask for suggestions for alternative illegal streaming sites that are still operating.
Global anti-digital piracy group the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to shut down what was allegedly the world’s largest illegal sports streaming service, Streameast, after an investigation lasting a year.
The story broke on US sports website The Athletic, owned by the New York Times, and has been picked up by multiple news outlets around the globe.
In a statement issued by ACE, Charles Rivkin, Chairman of ACE and Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), says: “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 members include more than 50 of the world’s biggest entertainment creating companies, including all the major streaming channel operators (such as Amazon, Netflix, Disney and Sony), plus national TV broadcasters (including the BBC) and film and animation studios. The body, which launched in 2017, has successfully shut down a number of major illegal streaming services.
ACE says it worked with Egyptian law enforcement officials to disrupt the service which was taken down at the end of August.
News reports say Streameast apparently generated 1.6 billion visits over the past year, with an average of 136 million visits a month.
Streameast and its domains offered users unauthorized access to matches from Europe’s top soccer leagues, including England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and Portugal’s Primeira Liga. The piracy network also provided illicit access to UEFA club competitions (Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, among others) and international qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro and UEFA Nations League, and CONMEBOL Copa America. The United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) and domestic cup competitions were also among the matches that were streamed illicitly.
It also offered illegal streams of US National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) matches, as well as pirated access to pay-per-view events, such as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights.
Site traffic to the various Streameast domains mainly came from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Philippines and Germany. All Streameast domains will now redirect visitors to the ACE “Watch Legally” page.
News reports say two men were arrested in Egypt as part of the operation, with authorities reportedly confiscating laptops and smartphones that were used in operating the site. The investigation also identified a shell company which was used to launder advertising revenue, which was then invested in property around Egypt.
The investigation also involved Europol, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the US National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre.
Following the raid, Streameast's original platform and related domains are no longer available, although there are reports that "copycat" sites have already popped up; ACE is currently investigating these sites.
Not all consumers are happy with the takedown, particularly given the timing – the first match of the 2025 US National Football League season is today (04/09/25), with defending champions the Philadelphia Eagles at home to the Dallas Cowboys.
Many fans have taken to social media (anonymously) to complain about losing their access to their favourite sports events, rail against the charges for streaming sports, and to ask for suggestions for alternative illegal streaming sites that are still operating.
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Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.
Inngot's online platform identifies all your intangible assets and demonstrates their value to lenders, investors, acquirers, licensees and stakeholders
Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.
Inngot's online platform identifies all your intangible assets and demonstrates their value to lenders, investors, acquirers, licensees and stakeholders
Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.