World’s largest illegal sports streaming site shut down after Egypt raid
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Streameast, regarded as the world’s biggest source of pirated sports broadcasts, has been taken offline following a law-enforcement operation in Egypt on Aug. 24 that resulted in the arrest of two men, authorities said.
Egyptian police seized laptops, mobile phones and other equipment linked to the platform, according to information provided to the media by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a coalition that includes Amazon, Netflix and Paramount+.
ACE stated that investigators uncovered “millions” of dollars in advertising revenue allegedly laundered through a shell company in the United Arab Emirates, as well as suspected real-estate purchases in Egypt connected to the site’s earnings.
Before the shutdown, Streameast was a key destination for unauthorized streams of NBA games in addition to NFL, MLB, Formula One and major pay-per-view combat sports. Traffic estimates placed the site’s peak reach at about 136 million visits per month, with domains hosted in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and Germany.
League officials have repeatedly pressed for stronger measures against digital piracy, arguing that illegal streaming erodes revenue that supports team operations and player salaries. “This takedown was a resounding victory,” ACE chairman Charles Rivkin said in a statement announcing the site’s closure.
While Streameast has gone dark, industry observers note that the appetite for free sports streams remains high, suggesting that new illegal outlets could emerge to meet that demand.
Source: Hoops Wire
