AniWave

Not to be confused with Aniwave (anime convention).
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.

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]

On the 27th of August 2024, the service was shut down, together with several related websites. Most of the sites features, such as searching, streaming, and downloading were unavailable, but users were still able to export bookmarks for a brief period of time, before the site fully went offline. The website, along with many related television/movie piracy websites related to it, shortly had a goodbye message displayed, with the music video of Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's "See You Again" located at the bottom of it. It reflected on the history of the website, and encouraged users to switch to legal services to support creators. [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

  • KissAnime – Former anime-focused piracy file streaming site
  • Limewire – Peer-to-peer file sharing application
  • Nyaa Torrents – File sharing website focused on East Asian media
  • Online piracy – Illegal use of digital copyrighted works
  • Scanlation – Fan translation of comics, often manga
  • The EmuParadise – Website that hosted video game ROMs
  • The Pirate Bay – Website providing torrent files and magnet links
  • Warez scene – Organized network of pirate groups

References

  1. ^ a b c Gülen, Kerem (2024-08-27). "Yes, 9anime Is Down Forever: Aniwave Shut Down Explained". Dataconomy. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  2. ^ a b c d Van der Sar, Ernesto (28 August 2024). "Pirate Streaming Giants Fboxz, AniWave, Zoroxtv & Others Dead in Major Collapse". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  3. ^ a b c d e Van der Sar, Ernesto (August 2, 2023). "9anime Rebrands to AniWave Citing Legal Troubles". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  4. ^ a b Nwaenie, Chike (2024-08-27). "Over 10 Popular Anime Piracy Sites Disappear Overnight in Mass Shutdown". CBR. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  5. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Hayes, Jackson (2024-08-27). "What Happened To Aniwave? Explained". The Escapist. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  8. ^ a b 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.