Streaming Piracy Service MKVCinemas Shut Down by Coalition

An anti-piracy coalition has dismantled one of India's most popular streaming piracy services, MKVCinemas, which had provided free access to movies and TV shows to millions over the past two years. Backed by over 50 major television networks and film studios, including Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Universal Pictures, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE, focuses on shutting down illegal streaming services through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations.

ACE's latest action resulted in the shutdown of the MKVCinemas piracy network and 25 related domains, attracting over 142.4 million visitors between 2024 and 2025. The operator of the piracy platform was identified in Bihar, India, and agreed to cease operations and transfer control of all associated domains.

All MKVCinemas sites now redirect visitors to ACE's "Watch Legally" portal. Additionally, ACE shut down a widely used file-cloning tool that enabled users in India and Indonesia to distribute copyrighted content, which had drawn 231.4 million visits over the past two years.

Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President at the Motion Picture Association, stated, "Our actions make clear that ACE will relentlessly pursue and dismantle illegal operations so audiences and creators can benefit from a secure, sustainable marketplace." This follows ACE's previous successes, including the takedown of another major piracy service, Photocall, which provided unauthorized access to 1,127 TV channels to over 26 million users annually.

ACE has been actively targeting large-scale illegal streaming networks in collaboration with law enforcement organizations like Europol and the U.S. Department of Justice, and has recently shut down other significant services like Streameast and Rare Breed TV.