In coordination with sports streamer DAZN, anti-piracy coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has shut down illicit live sports streaming website Calcio.
With over 6 million monthly visits from Italy alone, it was the most popular sports streaming website in the country.
Overall, Calcio drew more than 123 million visits in the past 12 months across 134 domains. According to DAZN, 80% of this traffic came from Italy, with smaller percentages originating from Spain, the United States, Germany, and France.
Credit: Piotr Piatrouski. Source: Shutterstock
The shutdown follows an investigation led by ACE in collaboration with DAZN’s anti-piracy team. The Moldova-based service operator reportedly agreed to cease operations after being approached.
The service provided unauthorised access to premium sports content, including top European football leagues such as Serie A, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1; Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) club competitions, including Champions League and Europa League; international competitions such as FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro; basketball leagues including the National Basketball League (NBA); motorsports including Formula 1 and Moto GP, and tennis matches.
The closure of Calcio follows the shutdown earlier this month of Streameast, the world’s largest illegal sports streaming operation by ACE and Egyptian authorities.
“Shutting down illegal operations like Calcio is vital for protecting fans, safeguarding jobs, and preserving the value and integrity of live sports,” said Ed McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer (COO) of DAZN Group. “ACE and DAZN’s decisive action in removing this site has prevented further harm to the well-being of the sports ecosystem.”
“Piracy diminishes the commercial value of a live sports broadcast well before the final whistle blows, harming broadcasters, sports leagues, and fans alike,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “With the start of the Italian football season, I commend the team for the timely takedown of this notorious operation.”
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