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Millions lose access to free sports streaming after ‘largest ever shutdown’ from anti-piracy organisation

Law enforcement shuttered an illicit streaming operation headquartered in Vietnam and used used by millions of people worldwide to watch sport fixtures without paying. The operation — one of the largest of its kind — resulted in some 138 separate free streaming websites coming under the control of regulators.

Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, more commonly referred to as ACE, was behind the operation to dismantle the world renown sports piracy ring in Hanoi. The shutdown represents the largest sports piracy ring takedown ever achieved by ACE, targeting sites that had been streaming sports content to viewers worldwide.

Websites owned and operated by the team in Vietnam were visited some 812 million times last year alone.

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Despite being based in Hanoi, the vast network of illicit streaming sites primarily targeted audiences in the United States and Canada, streaming events from across all major US leagues and global competitions. The illegal streaming network affected members of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, including prominent sports broadcasters beIN Sports, Canal+ and DAZN.

The sites provided unauthorised access to content from leagues across every sports category, undermining legitimate broadcasting rights. The impact on sports broadcasters is particularly severe due to the time-sensitive nature of live sports content — approval to block one of these sites can come after the match has finished.

ACE has established itself as a leading force in combating digital content piracy, with this latest operation marking its most significant sports-related success.

The Alliance includes major media companies and sports broadcasters among its membership, with sports tier members such as beIN Sports, Canal+ and DAZN.

The organisation’s approach involves identifying illegal operators through global investigations and securing the transfer of pirate domains. This Vietnam-based operation showcases ACE’s expanding reach in international anti-piracy efforts. The successful shutdown follows other recent enforcement actions by ACE and law enforcement in Vietnam, demonstrating increased effectiveness in the region.

maps of the world with dots representing ACE members in different countries

The shutdown targeted several notorious sports piracy sites, including bestsolaris.com, streameast.to, markkystreams.com, crackstreams.dev and weakspell.to. These sites had become well-known destinations for illegal sports streaming, particularly among North American viewers.

Visiting any of these pages will now redirect to ACE’s Watch Legally warning page.

The domains were part of the 138 web addresses transferred to ACE’s control following negotiations with the Hanoi-based operators. The sites had been offering unauthorised streams of premium sports content and enjoyed combined traffic of 812 million visits over the previous 12 months.

Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association, called the shutdown “a huge victory in our campaign against the piracy of live sports programs.”

She added: “ACE’s live sports members face a unique threat when it comes to digital piracy, as live sports broadcasts lose substantial commercial value once the game ends.

“The takedown serves as a warning to piracy operators everywhere – including operators in live sports piracy – that ACE will identify and shut down their illegal operations.”

DAZN Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy welcomed the action, stating: “DAZN stands with ACE in the fight to eradicate piracy, which undermines the sports ecosystem at all levels.

It is very pleasing that a criminal operation of this scale was taken down. Piracy often compromises the security of fans’ data, which is then used for illegal purposes, so the closure of this piracy ring has the added benefit that potential subscribers will be guided toward legitimate content providers like DAZN.”

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For those who don’t know, DAZN broadcasts over 90,000 live events annually and is available in more than 200 markets worldwide.

As well as being the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, DAZN has become the international home for NFL fixtures. The platform features coverage of competitions like Bundesliga, Serie A, LALIGA, Ligue 1, Formula 1, NBA, Moto GP, and more, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

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