Streameast, the world’s largest illegal sports streaming platform, has been taken offline after a coordinated raid involving Egyptian authorities and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment.
The operation took place on August 24 in El-Sheikh Zaid, Egypt, where two men were arrested on suspicion of copyright infringement. Authorities seized laptops, smartphones, cash, multiple credit cards, and cryptocurrency believed to be tied to the platform’s operation.
Investigators also uncovered evidence of a UAE-based shell company used to launder more than $6.2M in advertising revenue since 2010, as well as multiple properties in Egypt allegedly purchased with illicit funds.
Largest illegal sports streaming platform dismantled
According to ACE, Streameast operated a network of 80 domains that generated over 1.6 billion visits in the past year. The sites offered free access to global sports, including the Premier League, Champions League, NFL, NBA, MLB, pay-per-view boxing and MMA, and Formula 1.
“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,” said Charles Rivkin, chairman of ACE and CEO of the Motion Picture Association.
ACE confirmed that while Streameast’s original domain is no longer active, it is aware of copycat sites attempting to fill the gap and is investigating their connections.
The raid was conducted in collaboration with Egyptian law enforcement, with support from international agencies including Europol and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“This action swiftly dismantled what was once the largest illegal sports streaming operation in the world, and I applaud the Egyptian authorities for their partnership,” said Larissa Knapp, executive vice president of the Motion Picture Association.
