DAYS AWAY FROM SUPERBOWL & THE FEDS SHUT DOWN 10 WEBSITES THAT STREAM LIVE SPORTS!

Just days away from the Superbowl, the feds have shut down 10 internet websites that illegally streamed live sports events, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Sites like Hqstreams.net and Firstrow.net were seized for streaming events from the NFL, NBA, NHL, World Wrestling Entertainment and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

"The illegal streaming of professional sporting events over the Internet deals a financial body blow to the leagues and broadcasters who are forced to pass their losses off to fans by raising prices for tickets and pay-per-view events," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

The websites make money by posting advertisements and by offering "elite streams" that have no time delays, according to an affidavit supporting the seizures filed in Manhattan Federal Court.

Sports leagues and broadcasters lose millions from others poaching off their copyrighted material, when fewer people attend games or watch the legit broadcasts, prosecutors said.

Bharara said his office will seek to have the domain names from the illegal websites forfeited.



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