Streameast, the world’s biggest illegal sports streaming network, has been dismantled following a year-long investigation led by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) in cooperation with Egyptian authorities. The takedown, which occurred on August 24, targeted 80 domains that together drew 1.6 billion visits in the past year, streaming pirated content including the Premier League, Champions League, NFL, NBA, MLB, and other major sports.
The network averaged 136 million monthly visits, with users concentrated in the U.S., U.K., Canada, the Philippines, and Germany. During the raid in El-Sheikh Zaid, Giza Governorate, two suspects were arrested, and authorities seized laptops, smartphones, cash, credit cards, and cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators also uncovered evidence of a UAE-based shell company used to launder £4.9 million ($6.2m) in advertising revenues, as well as real estate acquisitions linked to illicit profits.
ACE, supported by media giants like Amazon, Netflix, and Apple TV+, hailed the action as a landmark victory against digital piracy. Industry leaders, including DAZN, stressed the importance of protecting sports’ economic value and fans from risks tied to illegal platforms. While Streameast’s original domain is offline, ACE confirmed that “copycat” sites are under investigation.
The case follows broader global enforcement efforts, including a July prosecution in the U.K. that saw a Yorkshire man sentenced to three years in prison for running illegal sports streaming websites that generated over £1 million.
