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.”
Anti-piracy coalition The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has shut down video hosting site Gamovideo in Spain. Discover more here.
Alex Mahon and Charlotte Moore receive New Year Honours
Former Channel 4 Chief Executive Alex Mahon and ex-BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore are among the recipients in the 2026 New Year Honours list.
Women directed 8% of top 100 movies in 2025
The representation of women directors of the top films at the North American box office dropped significantly in 2025, according to the latest study from the University of Southern California (USC)’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
WBD likely to reject Paramount's latest hostile bid
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is likely to reject Paramount Skydance's $108.4bn hostile bid, according to reports.
FACT and UK police warn illegal streamers
The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) has contacted over a thousand individuals across the UK, warning them to immediately cease using illegal TV streaming services or face the risk of prosecution.
.jpg)
UK actors vote to refuse being digitally scanned on set
Members of the UK performer union Equity working in film and TV have voted to refuse to be digitally scanned on set by a landslide 99.6%, in an effort to secure artificial intelligence protections.
