The Pirate site known as “football” is no longer accessible thanks to a joint operation that saw the well -known platform as protagonists DAZN with Ace (Alliance for creativity and entertainment), the main world coalition against digital piracy. The result is the result of a coordinated investigation that hit one of the most popular platforms in the world for illegal streaming. Just think that in the last 12 months Football had recorded over 123 million accessdistributed through 134 different domainsa strategy used to evade blocks and guarantee continuity to users. About 80% of traffic came from Italywhere the site had become a real point of reference for millions of sports enthusiasts who were looking for free alternatives to the subscriptions of platforms such as DAZN. Contrary to what could make its name think, the pirate site covered not only Serie A and the main international football tournaments (such as the UEFA cups and the FIFA World Championships), but also the competitions of other disciplines, including the NBA, Formula 1, MotoGP and tennis. Now all the domains connected to the site have been transferred to ACE and refer to Watch Legally, an official portal that invites you to choose legal methods of use.
The closure of the illegal “football” illegal site thanks to Dazn and Ace
The success of the operation was the result of the collaboration between DAZN and ACE. The latter is not a single entity, but it is a vast alliance that brings together Broadcaster, streaming platforms, film studies and other entertainment actors. Just think that in the Board of Directors of ACE they include practically all the most important actors in the world of entertainment: Amazon, Apple TV+, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery. Its mission is to counteract piracy on a global scale, identifying illegal operators and transferring the domains seized to official sites. In this case, the collaboration between ACE and DAZN has made it possible to act against an operator based in Moldova, a country that often hosts unauthorized streaming services thanks to less restrictive legislation.
To understand the value of this action, it should be remembered that pirate streaming is not a simple act of “free sharing”. Behind sites like calcium there is a real parallel business, which is based on advertising and, in some cases, subscriptions to reduced costs compared to those of the official price lists of the various platforms. This subtracts resources from those who produce and distribute the contents, undermining the economic model that allows you to finance championships and competitions.
The perpetual struggle with piracy
The closing of football certainly does not mark the end of the online piracy, which continues to reinvent itself with New domains and platformsbut represents a strong signal: the great operators are willing to invest in technological and legal investigations in order to defend their contents. But the fight against piracy also passes, and above all, from awareness of us users: Saving on the subscription to a streaming service preferring illegal solutions is an act with a low moral profile, which damages an entire economic induced, where hundreds of people work. It would be enough to reflect on this to reduce the attractiveness that piracy has always brings with it.
And McCarthyDazn Group’s Chief Operating Officer, stressed that dismantling these channels does not only mean defending the revenues of the platforms, but also protecting jobs and the integrity of sporting events. McCarthy explained:
Closing illegal activities such as football is essential to protect the fans, safeguard jobs and preserve the value and integrity of live sport. The decisive action of ACE and DAZN in removing this site prevented further damage to the well -being of the sports ecosystem.
The reasoning was shared by Larissa Knappmanager of the Motion Picture Association, who explained how piracy reduces the commercial value of a game or a direct already before the conclusion. Knapp said:
Piracy decreases the commercial value of a live sports broadcast well before the final whistle, damaging issuers, sports alloys and fans.
