World’s Biggest Illegal Sports Streaming Site Taken Down in Global Crackdown
The world’s most visited illegal sports streaming platform, Streameast, has been shut down following a joint operation between Egyptian police and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), an international anti-piracy coalition.
The site, which drew more than 1.6 billion visits over the past year, provided free access to pirated streams of major sporting events, including Premier League football, Formula One races, and Major League Baseball games.
ACE confirmed on Wednesday that two men were arrested in El-Sheikh Zaid, near Cairo, on suspicion of copyright infringement. During the raid, police seized laptops, smartphones, cash, credit cards, and cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators also uncovered ties to a UAE-based shell company, allegedly used to launder £4.9 million in advertising revenue since 2010, along with £150,000 in cryptocurrency.
“This landmark action is a resounding victory in our mission to detect, deter, and dismantle digital piracy operations,” said Charles Rivkin, ACE chairman. “We’ve scored a win not only for sports leagues and broadcasters, but for fans worldwide.”
Illegal Streaming on the Rise
The takedown comes amid growing concerns over piracy in sports broadcasting. A recent report revealed that illegal live sports streaming has reached an “industrial scale”, costing broadcasters and leagues billions each year.
Global sports media rights are now valued at over $60 billion (£44 billion), and as streaming platforms compete for exclusive deals, fans are often required to pay for multiple subscriptions to watch different competitions. This rising cost has pushed many viewers toward free — but illegal – alternatives like Streameast.
According to ACE, most of the site’s traffic originated from the UK, U.S., Canada, the Philippines, and Germany.
Visitors attempting to access Streameast domains will now be redirected to an ACE landing page, which provides links to legal viewing platforms.
Industry Reactions and Challenges Ahead
Ed McCarthy, COO of streaming service DAZN Group, praised the operation, saying the platform had been “siphoning value from sports at every level and putting fans at risk.”
However, analysts warned that the closure may only be a temporary solution. Ben Woods, an entertainment analyst at Midia Research, compared the fight against piracy to a “game of whack-a-mole.”
“Cracking down on pirates directly is just one part of the solution,” Woods told the BBC. “High subscription costs, fragmented broadcasting rights, and a generation of fans used to free content are all driving piracy. Unless live sports become more accessible and affordable, the problem will persist.”
Despite Streameast’s takedown, experts believe other illegal streaming operations will quickly emerge to meet demand, posing ongoing challenges for broadcasters, regulators, and sports organizations worldwide.
