Dodgy stick users have been issued a warning after the largest illegal sports streaming platform has been shut down.
It's bad news for that one mate who boasts about being able to watch all the 3pm blackout games.
When it comes to football, the 3pm blackout rule means football matches cannot be shown on UK television between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays.
It was introduced way back in the 1960s to encourage fans to attend lower league games, and it has remained in force ever since.
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And now, Streameast, known as the world's largest sports streaming platform, has been shut down after a year-long investigation.
For years, it had become a go-to destination for fans seeking free access to premium sporting events. The site illegally broadcast Europe’s biggest football competitions such as the Premier League and Champions League, alongside major US leagues including the NFL, NBA and MLB.
The Athletic reports that the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) - 50 of the world’s largest media companies including Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV+ - said that an investigation with Egyptian law enforcement managed to compromise Streameast's position.
Two men have been arrested and detained on suspicion of copyright infringement in El-Sheikh Zaid, Egypt.
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Cash, credit cards, laptops and smartphones were obtained during the raid, as investigators discovered links to a UAE shell company allegedly laundering advertising revenue of £4.9million ($6.2m) since 2010.
“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 and chief content protection officer of MPA, a leading contributor to ACE.
“It’s further proof that no piracy network is beyond the reach of coordinated global enforcement.”
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Over the past year, Streameast had 1.6 billion visits with 80 domains in the UK, Germany, the Philippines, the US and Canada.
Charles Rivkin, chairman of ACE and chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), said: "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.
"With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide.
"And our global alliance will stay on the field as long as it takes to identify and target the biggest piracy rings across the globe."
It comes after recent prosecutions in the UK as Stephen Woodward was sentenced to three years in prison in July.
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He plead guilty to running three illegal streaming websites in Yorkshire that generated an income of £1million ($1.3m).
LADbible Group has contacted the ACE for comment.
Anish Vij