The world’s largest illegal sports streaming site has been shut down, antipiracy group says

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The world’s largest sports pirating site, Streameast, is no more.

In Egypt, the prominent illegal streaming platform was closed down by authorities after a year-long undercover operation, as reported by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, one of the country’s biggest anti-piracy groups. The service was shut off on August 24, with Egyptian law enforcement and ACE collaborating in this action.

StreamEast attracted approximately 1.6 billion visits over the past year, with a regular monthly traffic of around 136 million. This popular platform provided access to major sports events such as Europe‘s football championships, NFL, NBA, MLB, pay-per-view boxing matches, and Formula One races. Its main audience is largely situated in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and Germany.

In this significant move, we’ve scored additional points benefiting sports leagues, entertainment firms, and fans globally. Our international partnership will continue to play an active role until we can pinpoint and tackle major piracy networks across the world, as stated by Charles Rivkin, chairman of ACE and leader of the Motion Picture Assn., in a press statement.

A pair of individuals was apprehended approximately 20 miles from Cairo, suspected of violating copyright laws. Officials seized various devices, such as laptops and smartphones believed to be running the site, along with cash and multiple credit cards. Investigators additionally uncovered a business entity, possibly employed for money laundering, that might have amassed an ad revenue of approximately $6.2 million. Furthermore, it is alleged that $200,000 was invested in cryptocurrency using these funds. Various properties in Egypt are said to have been bought with these ill-gotten gains.

Besides collaborating with local Egyptian officials, ACE’s investigation received assistance from Europol, the United States Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, as reported by The Athletic.

Previously linked StreamEast sites are now set to direct users to ACE’s “Watch Legally” page that offers connections to legitimate streaming video services. This news arrives on the eve of the NFL’s regular season start.

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2025-09-03 20:31