Largest illegal sports streaming network Streameast has shut down after an Egyptian-led investigation

In the landmark move made against digital piracy, one of the extensive illegal sports streaming operations has been confirmed to be dismantled. The news comes after an Egyptian investigation finally had some success, leading to the shutdown of the Streameast network.

Known to millions for offering unauthorized access to the premium live sports content worldwide, as per reports, it’s no longer available to users. The coordinated action represents a huge victory for the copyright holders and the law enforcement agencies.Here is what happened during the investigation that led to the takedown of Streameast.

Egyptian Investigation that led to the takedown of an illegal network

As per the available information, Egyptian authorities were working with the global anti-piracy alliance ACE.

Their investigation, which culminated in late August, led to the arrest of 2 individuals who were suspected of operating this vast network, just outside Cairo.During the raids, reports suggest that law enforcement seized some critical evidence, including financial assets and computing equipment linked to the operation. The probe was able to uncover some sophisticated financial structures, too. It included a shell company that was allegedly created to funnel advertising revenue generated by all illicit sites.

Reports suggest that the Streameast network was quite enormous. It comprised over eighty interconnected domains and reportedly had a traffic average of 136 million monthly visits. These sites, over the past year, attracted a staggering 1.6 billion visits from sports fans who were seeking free access to the events. A significant part of this entire traffic had its origin from the United States and Canadian viewers.

It highlights the deeper penetration of the platform within key sports markets.

Streameast dominance comes to an end

For many years, Streameast has established itself as the go-to destination for its users looking to stream some top-tier sports leagues. The platform offered them unauthorized coverage of games, including NBA, NFL, European soccer matches and pay-per-view boxing events too. The popularity of the platform was fuelled by the high cost, which is part of a legal sports subscription.

It was frequently cited as an alternative on the fan forums as well as social media platforms.Streameast’s recent takedown isn’t the first time the network has encountered enforcement actions. It was just last year when the authorities in the United States seized its varied domains. The operators, though, were able to quickly adapt, while leveraging over 400 alternative website names, a vast reservoir, to stay online and to continue their service. Such resilience made the recent and permanent takedown of the platform a significant achievement for the anti-piracy efforts.

All the former Streameast domains, reportedly, will now redirect to the page that prompts legal viewing options.