The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has announced the shutdown of a major sports streaming piracy network linked to PirloTV, one of the most recognizable names in unauthorized sports streaming throughout Latin America.

Working alongside UEFA and Mexican authorities, ACE targeted 44 domains connected to the operation shortly before the UEFA Champions League Final. According to the organization, the network generated more than 950 million visits annually, including approximately 230 million visits from Mexico alone.

For many cord-cutters, PirloTV became a well-known destination for watching live sports without a paid subscription. The service primarily focused on soccer coverage and attracted large audiences in Mexico and Colombia, while also drawing visitors from Spain, the United States, and other regions.

Why This Shutdown Matters

While piracy site shutdowns occur regularly, the size of the PirloTV operation makes this one notable.

Nearly one billion annual visits place the network among the larger sports streaming operations targeted by ACE in recent years. The action also occurred just before one of the biggest sporting events of the year, which is when piracy traffic often reaches its highest levels.

ACE Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer Larissa Knapp emphasized the significance of the operation:

“The disruption of PirloTV and its associated domains sends a clear message that illegal streaming operations face growing enforcement pressure around the world.”

The PirloTV operation also marks the first major enforcement action conducted jointly by ACE and Mexico’s Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) following a recently signed agreement designed to strengthen anti-piracy efforts within the country.

UEFA Continues Anti-Piracy Push

UEFA has made combating unauthorized streams a major focus in recent years as broadcasters spend billions securing rights to premier competitions such as the Champions League.

Diego Dabrio, Senior Content Protection Expert at UEFA, said the organization remains committed to protecting its broadcast partners and competitions worldwide.

“Actions such as this demonstrate our determination to pursue all avenues to disrupt and dismantle illegal streaming networks.”

The timing of this operation ahead of the Champions League Final highlights how rights holders are increasingly targeting piracy networks before major events take place rather than responding after the fact.

ACE Continues Expanding Enforcement Efforts

Over the past several years, ACE has become one of the most active anti-piracy organizations in the world.

The coalition represents many of the largest media companies and streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Apple TV+, and others. Its primary goal is identifying and dismantling piracy operations that distribute copyrighted content without authorization.

We have seen numerous similar takedowns from the alliance in the past:

Current State of PirloTV

Even though ACE has claimed a disruption of PirloTV, a quick google search shows the website is still active as pictured below.

Historically, shutdowns of large piracy sites often result in clone domains and copycat services appearing shortly afterward. It remains to be seen if this is the official website or a copycat.

However, the scale of the operation suggests that ACE is continuing its strategy of targeting not only individual websites but entire infrastructures connected to major piracy networks.

This article was originally published by the Alliance4Creativity.

Let us know what you think of the latest PirloTV shutdown in the comments below!