In a significant move against sports piracy, Egyptian authorities, working with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), successfully dismantled the Livehd7 sports streaming network.
Livehd7 was one of the most popular live sports websites available today, with millions of viewers seeking access to popular football (soccer) leagues and events.
ACE’s coordinated efforts with local law enforcement underscore an ongoing campaign to address piracy operations across MENA as they continue to pursue these unlawful outlets.
The Livehd7 takedown is the latest in ACE’s targeted actions across MENA which included the removal of Laroza and other free movie sites in September of this year.
The Scope of Livehd7’s Operations
Since its inception in 2020, Livehd7 became notorious for streaming an extensive range of sports content. It offered access to Europe’s most-watched football leagues, including the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. Fans could also watch games from Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as tournaments like the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, UEFA Euro, and CONMEBOL Copa America.
ACE’s research showed that Livehd7’s network included 85 associated domains, amassing an impressive 17 million visits per month, with a yearly total surpassing 257 million visits. Visitors to these sites mainly hailed from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, and the United States, reflecting a broad international reach.
The financial impact of these illegal streams has been substantial, particularly for broadcasters like beIN MEDIA GROUP, a major sports content distributor in MENA. Cameron Andrews, Legal Director of Anti-Piracy at beIN, noted that sports piracy in the region is costing their company over $1 billion annually.
Egyptian-operated pirate websites are popular across the Middle East and North Africa and Arabic-speaking markets generally, causing detrimental harm to our industry…
According to our research, in the MENA region alone, they cost beIN over a $1 billion USD a year and threaten the viability of our business, which in turn has a direct effect on what broadcasters can pay for sports rights. We are very pleased to see action being taken and ACE continues to set a precedent in the fight against piracy.
Livehd7’s Avoidance Techniques
One of the most challenging aspects of shutting down networks like Livehd7 is the operators’ ability to adapt by creating new domains to bypass enforcement measures. This circumvention tactic has made it challenging for authorities to maintain a complete shutdown of illegal streaming sites.
Hide Your Digital Fingerprint
In response, ACE has directed the domains associated with Livehd7 to redirect to the ACE “Watch Legally” page, aiming to guide viewers toward legitimate streaming options.
Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the MPA commented on the latest closure:
We applaud the excellent work of Egyptian law enforcement in protecting the intellectual property rights of ACE’s sports media company members…
The piracy of live sports is especially detrimental and poses an existential threat to sports leagues and their distribution partners, as a live sports broadcast loses substantial commercial value once a game ends. ACE remains committed to collaborating closely with the Egyptian Police to bring illegal operators to justice.
ACE and the MPA have been at the forefront of pursuing these unverified service providers and illicit streaming sites.
- ACE Shuts Down FMovies & The World’s Largest Piracy Ring
- ACE Targets IPTV Services, Apps, & Portals
- MPA Makes Major Push for Site Blocking in the United States
We will keep you updated on this story as more information is made available. This article was originally published in a news post by ACE.
What do you think of ACE’s latest shutdown of the popular Livehd7 network? Let us know in the comments below!
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