WebGem
02-02-2011, 07:06 PM
http://www.sandiego.com/news/streaming-sports-sites-shut-down-by-feds
www.atdhe.net
www.firstrow.net
www.channelsurfing.net
are the 3 i usually check, they all have the same exact message
if this belongs in media forum I apologize, I just figured some people who don't usually go there at all might care about this.
A Website that football fans all over San Diego surreptitiously used to watch blacked out Chargers home games on just got sacked.
ATDHE.net, a highly popular sports streaming site which featured tons of professional and college sports as well as international sports programming, has been shut down by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Investigations.
This site wasn't the only one. Rojadirecta.org, one of the most popular sites in Spain (it also shows American professional sports), Firstrow.net, Channelsurfing.net, Ilemi.com and others also became history, and more could be going down the same road if the authorities can unearth them.
Sites such as ATDHE.net carry illegal feeds of live sports events, an act that is considered piracy and violates copyright laws. The NFL is particularly sensitive about these sites, and paidContent.org says the league took down over 2,800 unauthorized online privacy streams during the 2009 season.
Believe it. The NFL has been known to have spies sent to sports bars believed to be airing illegal games throughout the country, then threatening to fine or shut down the guilty establishments. This applies to rigging a cable setup to show a game not aired in the local area or allowing patrons to see it on one of these streaming sites.
But the league can't stop you from doing it at home. I freely admit to watching at least one blacked out Chargers game on one of these sites, as well as other tilts not aired on local TV.
While the reception isn't the same as one of those jumbo HDTVs, it's more favorable than spending $100 you don't have to see Ryan Mathews' latest fumble or missing the game completely.
Curiously, one of the games I watched featured Spanish-speaking broadcasters and was apparently a feed from Mexico. Otherwise, it was the same experience as watching a game on the tube, only you're doing it from the PC or laptop. Viewers are treated to the same inane pre- and post-game shows, as well the same commercials.
Even without blackouts, these sites gave fans an option of what they wanted to watch. Say if someone didn't care about the Chargers-Raiders game and desired to see, oh, Kansas City-Denver. Problem solved.
On the college football level, these sites often provided "off-beat" contests that ESPN or ABC wouldn't touch with a 10-foot microphone. Surely, there's someone in San Diego who'd want to watch Middle Tennessee State-Louisiana-Monroe.
It's not clear from where ADTHE.net was operating and what the motivation is for streaming the sports events. The latest report had the streams coming out of Sweden, though that hasn't been verified. It was started in 2008, reportedly.
The person (or persons) running the site -- and anyone who's ever been on this professional-looking address can see these folks know what they're doing -- have apparently been on the lam for a while, changing addresses to elude authorities. The feds finally caught up with them and pulled the plug -- for now.
Meanwhile the plug has definitely been pulled on Rojadirecta.org. The most recent log-in attempt to the site resulted in a blank screen, other than a note at the top from Mozilla stating, "This domain has been seized by ICE-Homeland Security Investigations." An attempted log-in to ATDHE.net ended with the same result.
Rojadirecta.org was said to draw one million viewers a day. Rojadirecta streamed last year's World Cup matches, drawing a portion of the audience who'd otherwise be watching on ESPN3, the legitimate streaming site.
Why the crackdown on these sites now, as opposed to last month? Well, that cash cow known as the Super Bowl is this Sunday, and the NFL doesn't want to lose one thin penny of revenue due to illegal streaming. The league wants every eyeball on its productions.
As of early this afternoon, ATDHE had vowed relaunch and to "do our best to bring you back everything.'' This site, and others of its ilk, will return. They just might have to lay low until the Super Bowl fervor evaporates.
www.atdhe.net
www.firstrow.net
www.channelsurfing.net
are the 3 i usually check, they all have the same exact message
if this belongs in media forum I apologize, I just figured some people who don't usually go there at all might care about this.
A Website that football fans all over San Diego surreptitiously used to watch blacked out Chargers home games on just got sacked.
ATDHE.net, a highly popular sports streaming site which featured tons of professional and college sports as well as international sports programming, has been shut down by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Investigations.
This site wasn't the only one. Rojadirecta.org, one of the most popular sites in Spain (it also shows American professional sports), Firstrow.net, Channelsurfing.net, Ilemi.com and others also became history, and more could be going down the same road if the authorities can unearth them.
Sites such as ATDHE.net carry illegal feeds of live sports events, an act that is considered piracy and violates copyright laws. The NFL is particularly sensitive about these sites, and paidContent.org says the league took down over 2,800 unauthorized online privacy streams during the 2009 season.
Believe it. The NFL has been known to have spies sent to sports bars believed to be airing illegal games throughout the country, then threatening to fine or shut down the guilty establishments. This applies to rigging a cable setup to show a game not aired in the local area or allowing patrons to see it on one of these streaming sites.
But the league can't stop you from doing it at home. I freely admit to watching at least one blacked out Chargers game on one of these sites, as well as other tilts not aired on local TV.
While the reception isn't the same as one of those jumbo HDTVs, it's more favorable than spending $100 you don't have to see Ryan Mathews' latest fumble or missing the game completely.
Curiously, one of the games I watched featured Spanish-speaking broadcasters and was apparently a feed from Mexico. Otherwise, it was the same experience as watching a game on the tube, only you're doing it from the PC or laptop. Viewers are treated to the same inane pre- and post-game shows, as well the same commercials.
Even without blackouts, these sites gave fans an option of what they wanted to watch. Say if someone didn't care about the Chargers-Raiders game and desired to see, oh, Kansas City-Denver. Problem solved.
On the college football level, these sites often provided "off-beat" contests that ESPN or ABC wouldn't touch with a 10-foot microphone. Surely, there's someone in San Diego who'd want to watch Middle Tennessee State-Louisiana-Monroe.
It's not clear from where ADTHE.net was operating and what the motivation is for streaming the sports events. The latest report had the streams coming out of Sweden, though that hasn't been verified. It was started in 2008, reportedly.
The person (or persons) running the site -- and anyone who's ever been on this professional-looking address can see these folks know what they're doing -- have apparently been on the lam for a while, changing addresses to elude authorities. The feds finally caught up with them and pulled the plug -- for now.
Meanwhile the plug has definitely been pulled on Rojadirecta.org. The most recent log-in attempt to the site resulted in a blank screen, other than a note at the top from Mozilla stating, "This domain has been seized by ICE-Homeland Security Investigations." An attempted log-in to ATDHE.net ended with the same result.
Rojadirecta.org was said to draw one million viewers a day. Rojadirecta streamed last year's World Cup matches, drawing a portion of the audience who'd otherwise be watching on ESPN3, the legitimate streaming site.
Why the crackdown on these sites now, as opposed to last month? Well, that cash cow known as the Super Bowl is this Sunday, and the NFL doesn't want to lose one thin penny of revenue due to illegal streaming. The league wants every eyeball on its productions.
As of early this afternoon, ATDHE had vowed relaunch and to "do our best to bring you back everything.'' This site, and others of its ilk, will return. They just might have to lay low until the Super Bowl fervor evaporates.