The news: Streameast, the world’s largest illegal sports-streaming hub, has been dismantled after a coordinated sting on August 24, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

• Egyptian authorities shut down more than 80 domains tied to the operation, which had amassed 1.6 billion visits over the past year.
• Authorities worked with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a group representing over 50 companies including Apple, Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, and more.
• The crackdown comes just as European soccer and the NFL kick off new seasons, peak periods for piracy.

Why it matters: Piracy has long undercut official rights holders, eroding subscription revenues and ad sales. Streameast was a major disruptor, streaming matches from the Premier League, Champions League, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL to fans across the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and the Philippines. Traffic from the original site now redirects to ACE’s “Watch Legally” portal, but Streameast copycats are already emerging to tap sports fans’ demand for streaming.