Heavy Blow for PirloTV: The Pirate Network Loses 44 Domains and Over 950 Million Annual Visits

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), in collaboration with UEFA, UC3, and Mexican authorities, has shut down a vast sports piracy network linked to the illegal platform PirloTV, seizing 44 domains. This action, which preceded the UEFA Champions League final, targeted an infrastructure capable of generating over 950 million annual visits worldwide.

PirloTV has established itself as a reference point for illegal streaming of sports events, particularly football. The network does not directly host content but aggregates and incorporates links to unauthorized live broadcasts, replicating feeds from various licensed broadcasters. Its notoriety also stems from its ability to quickly migrate to new domains following enforcement actions.

According to ACE's announcement, the affected domains generated about 230 million visits just from Mexico, highlighting a strong audience in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Colombia. Significant traffic also came from markets like Spain and the United States. The operation aimed to strike at the piracy ecosystem in the region, especially during a high-profile period like the ongoing FIFA World Cup, for which legal access can be fragmented, particularly on mobile devices.

International Cooperation Against Piracy: PirloTV Falls

The fight against PirloTV has proven to be a classic cat-and-mouse game. Even immediately after the operation, public search engines indicated new active domains of the network, fully operational and capable of providing illegal streaming for sporting events. Some of these portals offered multiple live streams from over a dozen channels, including well-known names like ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT Sports, DSports (former DirecTV Sports), and TyC Sports. In Italy, for those trying to access these domains, the AGCOM notice regarding the block appears via the Piracy Shield system.

The effectiveness of such actions is often tested by the speed with which operators activate new portals, making it more complicated to trace direct responsible parties compared to operations against IPTV, where there is a more trackable flow of money.

UEFA was the first holder of sports rights to join ACE, and since then the organizations have collaborated to identify operators, map piracy networks, and coordinate local law enforcement efforts to dismantle backend services. The latest action against PirloTV also marks ACE's first collaboration with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), as part of a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen anti-piracy cooperation.

Larissa Knapp from the Motion Picture Association (MPA) commented on the outcome of the operation, emphasizing the importance of the message being sent. "The interruption of PirloTV's activities and related domains sends a clear message: illegal streaming activities are under increasing pressure from law enforcement worldwide," she stated. This scenario highlights the necessary compromises for developing new counter-strategy, focusing on the continuity of operations for more effective rights protection.