AniWave

Last updated
AniWave
Type of site
 File streaming
Available inEnglish
RegistrationOptional
Launched2016
Current statusOffline

AniWave (also Aniwave, formerly, 9anime [1] [2] ) was an anime-focused file streaming website that hosted links and embedded videos, allowing users to stream or download movies and TV shows illegally for free.

Contents

The website was related to a chain of similar websites known as FMovies [2] and had connections to individuals or operations in Vietnam. [3]

History

The website was initially known as 9anime. It was founded in 2016 and in 2023 rebranded itself to AniWave. [3] (Some fake clones using the same name have been reported to appear in the aftermath of this). [3] It had several domains, most recently it used a .to domain associated with the Kingdom of Tonga. [4]

The site has been targeted by copyright enforcement organizations such as Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment several times, including in 2022 and in 2023. [5] [3]

It went offline on 27 August 2024, together with several related websites. [1] [2] [4] [6] [7] [8] On 29 August 2024, Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment confirmed that they had assisted the Vietnamese police in shutting down the site and many other connected sites including FMovies. [9]


Significance

The website was widely popular. In October 2020 TorrentFreak called it "a major player in anime piracy" with over 39 million visits per month. [10] In May 2023 TorrentFreak described it as a "piracy behemoth" with 214 million visits a month and "huge, successful, and a prime target" for copyright enforcement. [5] In August that year it described the website as "one of the world's largest piracy sites" and "one of... anime piracy juggernauts" although quoting a smaller number of monthly visits (110 million). [3] In 2023 its .to domain was ranked #164 globally, with over 30% of that traffic coming from the United States. [5] A year later, it reported that "it serviced a mind-blowing 170 million visits a month". [2]

The Tech Report referred to the site as "one of the world's most visited movie streaming websites" and praised the website for being free (including ad-free), its width of coverage, as well as various useful features (such as a list of favorites and watchlists), noting that it however lacks options to download content and a dedicated mobile app. [11] Dataconomy called it "a significant player in the anime streaming space". [1] The Escapist noted that it was "important to the anime community", particularly as legal services are not available to everyone. [7] Distractify noted that the site's closure "has left [anime] fans reeling", as legal services suffer from "increasing prices and somewhat limited range of [content]". [8]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Gülen, Kerem (2024-08-27). "Yes, 9anime Is Down Forever: Aniwave Shut Down Explained". Dataconomy. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Van der Sar, Ernesto (28 August 2024). "Pirate Streaming Giants Fboxz, AniWave, Zoroxtv & Others Dead in Major Collapse". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Van der Sar, Ernesto (August 2, 2023). "9anime Rebrands to AniWave Citing Legal Troubles". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  4. 1 2 Nwaenie, Chike (2024-08-27). "Over 10 Popular Anime Piracy Sites Disappear Overnight in Mass Shutdown". CBR. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  5. 1 2 3 Maxwell, Andy (May 26, 2023). "2.5 Billion Visits: ACE Targets 9anime Among Several Pirate Anime Sites * TorrentFreak" . Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  6. ↑ Esguerra, Vanessa (2024-08-27). "Aniwave and other anime piracy sites are saying goodbye". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  7. 1 2 Hayes, Jackson (2024-08-27). "What Happened To Aniwave? Explained". The Escapist. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  8. 1 2 Noblitt, Elissa (2024-08-27). "A Massive Wave of Anime Streaming Website Shutdowns Has Left Fans Reeling". Distractify. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  9. ↑ Corante, Pamela (August 29, 2024). "Vietnamese Authorities, with Support from ACE, Take Down World's Largest Piracy Ring". Alliance4creativity. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  10. ↑ Maxwell, Andy (October 14, 2020). "Massive Pirate Anime Site Uses Visitors' Connections to DDoS Competitor *". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  11. ↑ Gitt, Samuel (2024-01-07). "9Anime Review 2024 - A Look at the Anime Streaming Platform". The Tech Report. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
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