Who owned HesGoal? What happened to the site?

Gone are the days when sports enthusiasts had to physically be present at sporting events. No longer do you need to shell out a fortune on pricey cable subscriptions. Now, you can simply kick back and stream your beloved sports events right from the cozy confines of your own home.

However, it’s disheartening to discover that numerous online sports streaming platforms operate unlawfully. Although some manage to fly under the radar of authorities, a handful like HesGoal aren’t as fortunate.

Who owned HesGoal?

Mark Gould, Zak Smith, Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown, and Christopher Felvus joined forces over five years ago to create HesGoal. Since its inception, this platform experienced remarkable growth, attracting a global user base of over 40 million monthly visitors, as reported by Similar Web.

Its popularity soared in the UK, where it captured more than a quarter of all online traffic, offering live coverage of top-notch leagues like La Liga, Scottish Premiership, and Serie A. However, an unexpected announcement shattered the hearts of its loyal users, as the site no longer provided this cherished service.

The announcement read, “Dear visitors, We decided to stop putting any link of the English Premier League matches on the site ‘www.hesgoal.com’ anymore. Sorry for that but we respect the English Premier League holder’s rights. They then add several links to the official sites of BT Sports, Sky, among others for fans to subscribe to.”

 

What happened to HesGoal?

HSI assumed control of HesGoal as a result of its involvement in illegal streaming activities. The Premier League officially announced that five individuals have been found guilty of various offenses, including conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and contempt of court.

Over a period of five years, these individuals managed to amass a staggering £7m. Established in 2016, HesGoal quickly gained popularity as a favored streaming platform for fans who wished to watch matches from a variety of leagues, including the English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, and Europa League.

The site offered live streams of other sports too such as golf, Formula 1, and tennis. The Premier League further disclosed that the illegal streaming operation employed a team of 30 individuals, one of whom was undercover at an anti-piracy company. The successful prosecution received assistance from the trading standards team of Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the Intellectual Property Protection Organization Fact.

Premier League general counsel, Kevin Plumb said: “Today’s sentencing is the result of a long and complex prosecution of a highly sophisticated operation. The sentences handed down, which are the longest sentences ever issued for piracy-related crimes, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes.”

“This prosecution is another concrete example of the clear links between piracy and wider criminality, a warning we repeatedly make. While most Premier League fans enjoy watching our games in a safe way, those who were customers of these services were effectively supporting individuals involved in other sinister and dangerous organised crime.”

“The Premier League’s substantial financial contribution to the entire football pyramid is made possible through the ability to sell our broadcast rights. We are pleased that through rulings such as this, the courts continue to show that they recognise the importance of safeguarding the Premier League’s rights.”

“We will continue to protect our rights and our fans by investigating and prosecuting illegal operators at all levels.”

How many years was HesGoal owners sentenced to?

Mark Gould, a 36-year-old individual, was identified as the mastermind behind the operation and was sentenced to 11 years in prison by Chesterfield Crown Court. Alongside him, his co-defendants Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown, and Christopher Felvus were also involved in providing unauthorized access to matches from numerous global channels, in addition to a vast collection of on-demand films and TV shows. As a result, they received varying sentences ranging from three to over five years.