Rabat – Just two days ahead of the much-anticipated 2022 Qatar World Cup, the content protection coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) announced that it has successfully shut down “a major sports piracy operation in Morocco.”
Prior to the shutdown, the illegal streaming websites broadcasted live football matches free of charge, said ACE in a statement, adding that the content was primarily drawn from Qatar-based sports broadcaster BeIN Sports. BeIN Sports became a member of the ACE in April 2022.
ACE shut down streaming websites like livekoora.online and yalla-shoot-new.tv on November 11 due to copyright infringement. The websites garnered over 20 million visits in October 2022, indicated the statement.
Head of the ACE Jan van Voorn said that “the successful ACE action in Morocco is a direct result of our enhanced focus on the growing threat that live sports piracy poses to consumers.”
Voorn added that ACE and BeIN Sports have sent a “clear message” to piracy operators from across the world, warning them from stealing sports content, including World Cup games. “We will find you and shut you down,” he stressed.
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A beIN Sports spokesperson expressed the company’s “delight” at the shutdown, especially with the World Cup starting so soon.
Describing the operation as an “important anti-piracy activity,” the spokesperson added that the shutdown of illegal streaming websites safeguards BeIN Sports consumers in Morocco, “ensuring they are not subject to harmful illegal streaming.”
A wide range of football fans from across the world use piracy services to watch live matches. Research by software company Synamedia indicated that 51% of “dedicated sports fans watch illegal sports streaming services at least once a month,” Tifosy reported.
