Sports piracy powerhouse Streameast shuttered by ACE, Egyptian authorities
The global sports piracy network Streameast has been shut down by Egyptian authorities and ACE, the world’s largest group of anti-piracy advocates.
Image by Gorodenkoff | Shutterstock
The global sports piracy network Streameast has been shut down by Egyptian authorities and ACE, the world’s largest coalition of anti-piracy advocates.
- Streameast and its 80 criminal domains are taken down by authorities, ending the world’s largest live sports piracy network.
- The illicit sites streamed top global events, from Europe’s most prominent soccer leagues to the NFL.
- ACE calls it a landmark victory and warns that no piracy ring is untouchable.
Sports fans across the world, unwilling to pay for streaming services to watch their favorite teams, are officially out of luck.
The Los Angeles-based Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) anti-piracy coalition announced the shutdown of Streameast and its 80 associated domains after a year-long investigation.
“The world’s largest live sports piracy ring is no more,” ACE posted on X, noting that the “notorious network” logged more than 1.6B visits through its 80 domains in the past year alone.
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Streameast “illegally streamed everything from the Premier League and Champions League to the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and Formula One,” it said.
The world’s largest live sports piracy ring is no more.
undefined Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (@ACE_antipiracy) September 3, 2025
ACE collaborated with Egyptian authorities to shut down Streameast — a notorious network that logged more than 1.6B visits through 80 domains in the past year alone.
The network illegally streamed everything from the… pic.twitter.com/qGmSKQpxSq
Site traffic to the various domains had mainly originated from the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and the Philippines, the announcement said.
Charles Rivkin, ACE Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) called the Streameast takedown a “landmark victory.”
“We have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide – and our global alliance will stay on the field as long as it takes to identify and target the biggest piracy rings across the globe.”
The ACE anti-piracy coalition is made up of 50+ member organizations across the globe and backed by the world’s leading media companies, according to the ACE website. Its mission in this case: protect live sports and the fans who cheer for them.
Not only fighting for the integrity of the sports industry, ACE says "the global ecosystem of artists, creators, and content providers is increasingly undermined by piracy and the unauthorized use of copyright works."
"No illegal network is beyond reach"
Starting Wednesday, ACE said that Streameast users visiting one of the 80 criminal domains will automatically be directed to a webpage with the words “Watch Legally” plastered across it.
Underneath the ACE public service announcement (PSA), it reads, “There are more than 140 content providers/platforms around the world that offer legal access to your favorite movies and TV shows across a wide variety of devices.”
“Piracy is not a victimless crime – it undermines the entire sports economy, from rights holders and leagues to athletes and fans,” said Cameron Andrews, Legal Director at Anti-Piracy for beIN MEDIA GROUP, adding that the success of the operation proves “no illegal network is beyond reach.”
The vast range of games shown via Streameast domains included those from Europe’s top soccer leagues, UEFA club competitions, international qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro and UEFA Nations League, CONMEBOL Copa America, US Major League Soccer (MLS), and other US domestic cup competitions.
The top European leagues were said to have included England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1, and Portugal’s Primeira Liga.
While soccer was the predominant fan favorite across Europe, Streameast also provided unathorized access to “sport-specific piracy sites for American sports,” such as the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), pay-per-view boxing, and Formula One motorsports.