PirloTV sports piracy network disrupted as 44 domains seized
The article reports on the disruption of a major sports piracy network linked to the illegal streaming platform PirloTV. In a coordinated enforcement operation, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), UEFA, UC3, and Mexican authorities seized 44 domains that formed the core of the network. The action targeted one of the largest illegal sports streaming operations in Latin America, which collectively attracted more than 950 million visits annually.
PirloTV did not host copyrighted content directly. Instead, it operated as an aggregation platform, collecting and embedding unauthorized live sports streams from licensed broadcasters around the world. The service focused primarily on football but also offered access to other sporting events. Its operators routinely shifted to new domain names whenever previous ones were blocked, making the network highly resilient to traditional enforcement efforts.
According to ACE, approximately 230 million of the annual visits originated from Mexico, with Colombia representing another major audience. The sites also attracted significant traffic from Spain and the United States. Authorities deliberately timed the operation ahead of the UEFA Champions League final to maximize its impact on illegal viewership during one of the year’s most valuable sporting events.
The takedown also marked the first joint enforcement action between ACE and Mexico’s Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) under a newly established cooperation agreement. The collaboration reflects a broader strategy of combining rights holders, law enforcement agencies, and government institutions to dismantle piracy infrastructure rather than targeting individual users.
Despite the success of the operation, experts caution that PirloTV has historically recovered quickly by registering replacement domains. Some alternative domains reportedly remained active or reappeared shortly after the seizures, illustrating the ongoing challenge of permanently eliminating large scale piracy networks. The article concludes that sustained international cooperation and continuous monitoring will be necessary to prevent such services from rebuilding their infrastructure.
