The Dallas Cowboys are opening their season on Thursday against the defending Super Bowl champions, the rival Philadelphia Eagles. There is plenty of intrigue surrounding the Cowboys, as they traded star pass rusher Micah Parsons in exchange for two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Given that, Cowboys fans are wondering if their success will hinge on the play of quarterback Dak Prescott.
For fans, they will have to watch the game on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET through their cable or satellite provider, or their streaming service, Peacock. Some fans may previously have thought it would be possible to watch the game without being subscribed to a streaming service or holding a cable or satellite package, but that option was far from the up-and-up. Now, it is no longer even on the table (not that it should have been in the first place).
Streameast, an illegal sports streaming platform, was shut down after a year-long investigation on Sunday. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a group of 50 global entertainment companies and film studies, worked alongside Egyptian authorities to shut it down, ultimately leading to the arrest of two operators in Sheikh Zayed, Egypt.
Streameast shut down before Cowboys' season-opener vs. Eagles
During the arrest, authorities confiscated three laptops and four smartphones that were used to operate the streaming system.
NFL fans, and sports fans in general, have long looked for outside options as a way to avoid paying for a streaming service to watch games. The NFL is one of the highest-priced sports to watch, especially for those who are interested in the Sunday Ticket package for the season. Streameast, though an illegal option, had gained notoriety among fans and garnered over 1.6 billion visits over the past year alone.
Cowboys fans will be able to watch the season opener on Thursday night by using their cable or satellite provider to view it on NBC, signing up for a Peacock subscription service (which will give you the chance to watch every Sunday Night Football game), or purchasing the NFL Sunday Ticket package to view every game this season.
Cowboys fans who have those options certainly hope they get a win against the hated Eagles on Thursday night.