Streameast Shut Down in Global Piracy Crackdown
- Oliver Walsh
- Sep 5
- 2 min read
In a significant win for content rights holders, authorities in Egypt have successfully dismantled Streameast, one of the world’s most notorious illegal sports streaming platforms. The operation, conducted in coordination with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), led to arrests, asset seizures, and the takedown of over 80 domains used to illegally broadcast live sports events worldwide.
Coordinated International Operation
On August 24, Egyptian law enforcement officers conducted a targeted raid in the Cairo region, arresting two individuals allegedly linked to the Streameast operation. Authorities seized digital equipment, large sums of cash, cryptocurrency wallets, and real estate tied to illicit revenue.
The action follows an extensive investigation spearheaded by ACE, the anti-piracy coalition.
“Today, 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,” ACE chairman Charles Rivkin said in the announcement. “With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide,” added Rivkin, who also is chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association*.
Massive Global Reach and Financial Impact
At its peak, Streameast operated a web of more than 80 interconnected domains, attracting an estimated 1.6 billion visits in the preceding 12 months. The platform streamed premium sports content, including the Premier League, NFL, NBA, Champions League, and Formula 1, without authorisation and entirely free of charge to users.
Investigators revealed that Streameast laundered over $6 million USD in advertising revenue through shell companies in the UAE, with the profits being funnelled into cryptocurrency and Egyptian property assets.
Relevance to Asia and Regional Impact
The dismantling of Streameast is particularly significant for Asia, where the platform had millions of monthly visitors, especially in markets like India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. In these countries, pirate sports streaming remains rampant, driven by high subscription costs, and fragmented legal offerings.
Rights holders operating in Asia are likely to experience a short-term decline in pirate traffic, particularly during key sports seasons. However, as mirror sites emerge, regional enforcers must act quickly to replicate the momentum through local site-blocking, criminal enforcement, and public education efforts.
Redirection and Consumer Outreach
As part of the enforcement action, all former Streameast domains now redirect to ACE’s “Watch Legally” landing page, which educates users about the risks of piracy and promotes legitimate viewing platforms.
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