1,376 illegal streaming sites demonetized.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, industry partners supplied the pirate site intel, TAG added them to the Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL) and stopped the ad money from reaching them.
A briefing shows exactly how TAG's Piracy Threat Exchange (PTX) can work for a rights holder.
What happened during the World Cup.
Operation Offsides was a joint collaboration led by the U.S. Department of Justice. Advertising funds a large portion of pirate sites, so cutting off that revenue, while federal seizures and industry intelligence run in parallel, attacks the problem from multiple directions.
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During the tournament
Sites supplied, verified and added to PDEL.
Industry partners supplied illegal streaming sites carrying stolen World Cup content while the matches were being played. TAG added them to the Pirate Domain Exclusion List in near real time, so key adtech providers could block their ad revenue across the programmatic supply chain.
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June 26, 2026
Nearly 400
pirate sites seized by the U.S. Department of Justice and partners in Operation Offsides.
U.S. Department of Justice, June 26, 2026
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June 30, 2026
1,376
illegal streaming sites demonetized, announced by TAG as the results of its own anti-piracy campaign. A further 176 domains already on PDEL were identified as trafficking in stolen World Cup content.
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End of the tournament
More than 1,000
pirate domains seized by the U.S. Department of Justice and partners by the end of the World Cup.
U.S. Department of Justice
How PDEL works.
Pirate streaming sites sell ad inventory against broadcasts that rights holders paid to distribute. The TAG Community maintains the Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL) and shares it with intermediaries across the digital advertising supply chain, who stop placing ads on the listed sites.
- Partners identify
Industry partners identify pirate sites carrying stolen broadcasts and supply them to TAG.
- TAG lists
TAG adds each site to PDEL, the industry's shared block list.
- The supply chain blocks
Adtech providers stop placing ads on the listed sites, so the ad money never reaches them.
Demonetization is TAG's job: it happens in near real time, while the event is live, cutting off the money. A takedown is different; it removes the site or domain, which is law enforcement's job.
What PTX does for a rights holder.
PTX makes that intelligence available to a rights holder year-round, during your own events and in between them.
- Pirate Domain Exclusion List
- The industry's shared block list, maintained continuously by the TAG Community.
- AdSec Threat Exchange
- Intelligence-sharing on piracy infrastructure.
- Federal enforcement coordination
- Through TAG's role as the ad industry's first and only Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO).
- Early warning during your events
- Monitoring in near real time when your content is the target.
- TAG's operations team
- Working around your own calendar of events, next to the enforcement your team already runs.
In a briefing, TAG's team walks through each one against your own event calendar.
State of the Fight.
October 7 · New York
TAG's annual conference, with Operation Offsides on the agenda.
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October 5, 6 or 7
Private PTX briefings in New York, one organization at a time, or by video call on a date that suits your team.
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October 7
State of the Fight, New York. Operation Offsides is on the agenda.
Jules Kendrick, TAG's Chief Growth Officer, runs the briefings.
Schedule your PTX briefing.
We'll go through what happened during the operation, how PDEL would work around your own events, and what PTX participation involves, in plain terms. There's nothing to prepare on your side.