In a landmark operation against digital piracy, Vietnamese authorities, in conjunction with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), have orchestrated the takedown of what is being hailed as “the largest piracy network in the world.” At the epicenter of this unprecedented crackdown was Fmovies, a notorious illegal streaming site that, alongside its affiliated websites and video hosting provider, has now been shut down.
Fmovies, which launched in 2016, evolved into a massive hub for illegal streaming, amassing 374 million monthly visits and over 6.7 billion hits between January 2023 and June 2024. According to SimilarWeb, the site was the 280th most visited across all categories and the 11th most popular in the TV, movie, and streaming sectors.
The operation resulted in the arrest of two individuals in Hanoi, who are now facing formal charges. The sweep also dismantled a network of affiliated sites such as bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer, and aniwave, in addition to the video hosting service vidsrc.to.
Charles Rivkin, president and CEO of ACE, hailed the takedown as “an extraordinary victory for actors, crew, directors, studios, and the entire creative community worldwide.” The ACE, a global coalition featuring entertainment powerhouses like Disney, NBCUniversal, and MGM, was instrumental in spearheading this international anti-piracy effort.
The reverberations of this crackdown were felt almost immediately online. On Reddit, where Fmovies had a dedicated subreddit, users reported disruptions accessing their favorite streaming sites and began searching for alternatives.
This operation builds on recent victories in the fight against digital piracy. Just weeks prior, ACE had announced the closure of the illegal anime streaming site aniwave. Additionally, the pirate site fboxz.to voluntarily shut down, leaving a farewell message urging users to “support creators by paying for movies and TV series.”
The battle against piracy is intensifying, with significant impacts even in Italy, where the Guardia di Finanza recently conducted 14 raids and identified 13 individuals implicated in the illegal distribution of copyrighted content.
As the crackdown continues, it is clear that the tide is turning in the global fight against digital piracy.