Streamast, the world’s largest illegal sports streaming site with 1.6 billion visits last year alone, has been dismantled by international authorities. The closure serves as a warning for Korean American viewers who have watched LAFC matches featuring Son Heung-Min on unauthorized Korean-language platforms.
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE, an anti-piracy coalition), chaired by Charles Rivkin, announced on September 3 that it worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and Egyptian authorities to shut down Streamast, which had operated servers in Egypt. ACE said it spent the past year tracing the network that illegally distributed live sports worldwide. Streamast controlled more than 80 domains, with most visitors coming from the United States and Canada. The site now displays a shutdown notice and links to licensed streaming services.
The closure is expected to ripple across Korean-language illegal streaming services. Interest in Major League Soccer (MLS) has surged following the arrivals of Son Heung-Min and Lionel Messi, fueling demand for unauthorized Korean-language broadcasts. A search by this newspaper revealed more than 10 such sites—identified as A site, S site, J site, and others—that continue to provide sports matches without licenses. Some of these sites even charged membership fees despite their illegal status.
An industry source estimated that about 100,000 Korean Americans in the U.S. consume content through such platforms. Many of these operators evade enforcement by switching domain names after short periods.
Jungyoon Kim (37), a Los Angeles resident, said he subscribed to Apple TV last week to watch Son Heung-Min’s matches. “But many people around me still use illegal sites,” he noted. Authorities continue to step up enforcement. Last year, a U.S. federal court ordered the shutdown of Kokoa.TV, which illegally distributed Korean content across North America. Another sports-focused site, JjangguTV, has also ceased operations.
Watching illegal streams can also carry legal consequences. The UFC recently won a $12,000 damages case against an individual who viewed a pay-per-view fight through an unauthorized platform. Attorney Dave Noh said, “Illegal use of content can result in civil lawsuits or fines, and large-scale unauthorized distribution can lead to criminal charges.”
ACE is a coalition of major media companies, including Apple TV, Warner Bros., Disney, Fox, and Comcast, formed to combat illegal online video services. Its takedown of Streamast highlights expanding international cooperation in the crackdown on online piracy.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
