Cineby History: From the First Documented Domain to the Shutdown
Cineby was documented on the web by December 13, 2024, and its operators set September 5, 2026 as the final shutdown date. Between those dates, it became one of the largest unauthorized streaming services, changed its main domain, faced blocking orders in several countries, and wound down on a published schedule. This timeline separates documented dates, attributed claims, and what remains uncertain.
The First Domain and the Early Period
The earliest archived point documented here is December 13, 2024, at 13:26 UTC. Wayback captures of cineby.cc record a redirect from www to the main address, followed four seconds later by a page returning HTTP 200. The site was already operating, so its actual launch could have been earlier. This is an archive date, not a verified launch date.[9]
A first capture of cineby.app is dated December 26, 2024. That address was later named in the MPA's submission. The timeline also records cineby.gd on October 25, 2025, cineby.sc on March 26, 2026, and cineby.ws on April 15, 2026. Those addresses were reported as mirrors. An archive capture alone cannot establish who operated a domain.[9]
| Domain | First capture | Context |
|---|---|---|
| cineby.cc | December 13, 2024, 13:26 UTC | Earliest documented address in this timeline |
| cineby.app | December 26, 2024 | Named in the MPA 2025 submission |
| cineby.gd | October 25, 2025 | Reported mirror |
| cineby.sc | March 26, 2026 | Reported mirror |
| cineby.ws | April 15, 2026 | Reported mirror; later use of a name does not establish continuity |
| cineby.at | June 6, 2026 | Main address after the move from .cc |
| cineby.tech | July 7, 2026 | Branded copy appearing before the shutdown; affiliation unconfirmed |
| cineby.vg | August 17, 2026 | Branded copy described by the MPA as a copycat |
References: [9]
The Move from .cc to .at
On June 6, 2026, cineby.cc began redirecting to cineby.at. The first .at capture in this timeline is from the same day, at 04:35 UTC. Together, those observations indicate a move of the main address rather than merely another mirror appearing.[9]
Some later .cc captures returned HTTP 200, including captures through July 27, 2026. Residual caching or incomplete redirects could explain those responses, but the archive alone does not establish the technical cause. They should not be treated as proof of a separate, independently operating service. Old links could return different responses while the main site was being served at .at.[9]
The Audience in Numbers
In August 2025, Cineby ranked 789 worldwide in Similarweb figures cited by the MPA. The estimate was 68.8 million monthly visits from 8.91 million unique visitors. The United States supplied the largest traffic share, 37.6%. The MPA placed it in the hydra-site category: browser-based piracy portals offering a broad catalog without a subscription or dedicated device.[1]
TorrentFreak later reported more than 160 million visits in July 2026. Using 160 million as a comparison point, that is about 132.6% above the August 2025 figure, or roughly 2.33 times as many visits. Because the later estimate exceeds 160 million, the exact increase could be larger. These are estimates for two different months, not a continuous audited growth series.[3]
The operation also included Fmovies+ and Cineplay, which had their own audiences. Both companion sites began redirecting visitors to Cineby on August 25, 2026.[4]
Roughly 2.33 times the earlier estimate, using 160 million as the comparison point. Different months, estimated visits, not unique viewers.
How the Service Worked
Cineby embedded video streams rather than maintaining its own video-file library. The MPA identified Videasy for video on demand and Streamed for live sports. Under this piracy-as-a-service model, the front end, catalog, and player could be operated separately from the systems supplying the video.[1]
That arrangement could make a front end quick and inexpensive to launch, but it also created a dependency. If upstream APIs stopped delivering streams, a working catalog and player interface would not be enough. The original operators described losing their main providers before the shutdown.[4]
The MPA's 2026 submission described Videasy as offline. It also said Vidking was reachable but had no connected source servers and could not stream content. Those observations concern the supply chain, not simply the spelling of a domain name.[2]
Rights-Holder Actions and Blocking Orders
In fall 2025, the MPA included Cineby.app in its submission to the U.S. Trade Representative's Notorious Markets review. It described the service as a rapidly growing hydra-style piracy portal, associated its hosting with Russia, and reported blocking in Indonesia and Malaysia alongside reduced traffic from those markets.[1]
In May 2026, Cineby was named in a UK omnibus blocking order that also addressed future successors. A Canadian expanded-scope order likewise covered Cineby and potential successor sites. The purpose was to make changing names or addresses less effective as a response to blocking.[3][4]
Reporting on a July 2026 Delhi High Court injunction said it covered four Cineby domains. It directed Indian ISPs to block them and registrars to suspend them. The main .at address was still accessible when the August shutdown announcement was reported. That observation alone does not establish the full legal or technical reason it remained reachable.[3][4]
The often-cited total of 248 domains belongs to a separate, earlier Delhi action covering many piracy sites. It should not be presented as the size of the July 2026 Cineby injunction.[10]
In its October 2026 filing, the MPA attributed the shutdown of Cineby-associated domains and Videasy to MPA and ACE actions. It did not identify a particular court ruling, seizure, or police raid as the direct reason Cineby stopped streaming. Blocking orders and a site's final shutdown are related events, but one is not automatic proof of the cause of the other.[2][5]
The Complete Shutdown Timeline
The announcement appeared in mid-August 2026. TorrentFreak reported it on August 17. The original notice said Cineby and its related services would cease operating on August 26, with servers shut down and accounts deleted. It did not initially give a reason.[3]
The operators then announced that the service would close in stages. The schedule below records what they announced and what contemporaneous reporting described.[4]
| Date | Stage | What it meant |
|---|---|---|
| August 17, 2026 | Shutdown reported | The original announcement named August 26 as the closing date. |
| August 25, 2026 | Fmovies+ and Cineplay | Companion sites began redirecting to the main Cineby site. |
| August 26, 2026 | Anime and live sports | Those streams were switched off under the published schedule. |
| August 27, 2026 | Downloads | File downloads were scheduled to stop. |
| August 28, 2026 | Accounts | The account system was scheduled to close and user data to be deleted. |
| August 30, 2026 | Last viewing day | The final scheduled day to watch movies and TV shows. |
| August 31, 2026 | Streaming ends | Movie and TV streaming stopped. |
| September 1, 2026 | Farewell | The schedule named this as the goodbye stage. |
| September 5, 2026 | Final shutdown | All remaining domains and backend services were due to close. |
| September 18, 2026 | Latest .at capture in this timeline | An archived response, not evidence that video still played. |
The staged period from August 25 to September 5 spans 11 elapsed days. The interval from the August 17 report to September 5 is 19 days. From the first documented .cc capture on December 13, 2024 to September 5, 2026, the interval is 631 days, approximately 20.7 months. None of those calculations establishes the project's actual launch date.
Why It Closed: Two Attributed Accounts
The operators' account: their two main video-provider groups, Sflix and 1Movies, had gone down about three months earlier. They said efforts to stabilize the service had not restored its previous quality and that they preferred to close rather than keep a deteriorating service running.[4]
The MPA's account: Cineby.app and Videasy.net ceased operating following actions by the MPA and ACE. Its submission also referred to an investigation and enforcement effort across multiple regions, without naming a specific case as the shutdown trigger.[2][5]
How the accounts fit together: a front end dependent on third-party video sources can lose its ability to stream when those sources disappear. Legal pressure was increasing during the same period. Public reporting supports both developments, but does not establish that one particular order caused the final shutdown. The precise chain of decisions is not fully public.[4][5]
What Happened to the Domains
After the closure, addresses using the Cineby name behaved differently. A search can still surface an unavailable address, a redirect, or a separately operated branded copy. The table summarizes the domain-status checks cited for November 2026. It is a dated record, not a live availability test or a recommendation to visit those sites.[8]
| Domain or group | Reported status | What the observation means |
|---|---|---|
| cineby.at, cineby.cc | Reported not responding | The original addresses were no longer providing the original service. |
| cineby.gd, cineby.sc, cineby.app | Reported redirecting to an unavailable cineby.at | A redirect does not mean the service has returned. |
| cineby.tech | Branded copy reported online | No established connection to the original operators. |
| cineby.ws, cineby.ninja | Branded copies reported online | The name was being reused by other sites. |
| cineby.vg | Branded copy reported online | The MPA described it as a copycat. |
| cineby.com, cineby.net | Reported redirecting to mp42.com | No established connection to the former service. |
| cineby.co, cineby.im | Reported parked or empty | Not an operating continuation of the original service. |
There are hundreds of name variations. Some copies reproduce familiar interface elements; others describe themselves as a reborn or official continuation. In their final statement, the original operators said there was no official alternative. A familiar name or appearance, including the name used by cineby.hot, does not establish affiliation or legal succession.
What This Means for Visitors
- The old accounts were scheduled for deletion on August 28, 2026. This independent site cannot recover them.
- An old domain or a redirect does not prove that the original service has returned.
- A familiar interface is not a guarantee of safety or common ownership. Different operators can reuse a name.
- An APK carrying the Cineby name should not be assumed to be an official app from the original operators.
- Licensed services mentioned in a farewell are alternatives for viewing content, not a new version of Cineby.
Where cineby.hot Fits in This History
cineby.hot is an independent catalog. It is not the brand's official successor and is not affiliated with the original operators. It addresses the same practical task: helping visitors choose a movie or show and understand dates, ratings, and other catalog details. Accounts were not transferred, and this project does not use the closed service's database.
The lesson we take from the earlier service is that a familiar interface cannot overcome a failing technical supply chain. Our emphasis here is on a useful catalog and clear explanations, rather than availability promises we cannot guarantee. Read about this project or visit Help for practical information about this domain.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Cineby first appear?
The earliest documented point in this timeline is the December 13, 2024 Wayback capture of cineby.cc. The site was already operating by then, so the actual launch may have been earlier. It is not a verified launch date.
Why did the address change from .cc to .at?
cineby.cc began redirecting to cineby.at on June 6, 2026, the same date as the first .at capture documented here. That indicates a move of the main address. The operators did not publicly establish a specific reason. Blocking pressure is a possible explanation, not a confirmed one.
Has Cineby returned?
There is no established official return of the original service. A working site using the name does not by itself prove a connection to the former operators. cineby.hot is an independent project, not that original service.
Why did Cineby shut down?
The operators pointed to the loss of the Sflix and 1Movies provider groups and said the service had not fully recovered. The MPA later attributed the closure of Cineby.app and Videasy.net to MPA and ACE actions. A specific court ruling has not been established as the direct shutdown trigger.
Can an old account be recovered here?
No. The original shutdown schedule called for the account system to close and user data to be deleted on August 28, 2026. Those accounts were not transferred to cineby.hot, and this project cannot restore them.
How much traffic did Cineby receive?
Similarweb figures cited by the MPA put August 2025 traffic at 68.8 million monthly visits from 8.91 million unique visitors. TorrentFreak reported more than 160 million visits in July 2026. These are attributed traffic estimates, not figures measured by cineby.hot.
Was the original Cineby a licensed streaming service?
It was described by the MPA and contemporary reporting as an unauthorized piracy service, and it faced blocking orders. It should not be confused with a licensed streaming platform.
Sources
1. MPA, 2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy
Motion Picture Association ·
https://www.motionpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MPA-Notorious-Markets-2025-Submission-.pdf#page=11Cineby.app entry; Similarweb August 2025 estimates; Videasy and Streamed; Indonesia and Malaysia.
2. MPA, 2026 Notorious Markets Submission, positive developments
Motion Picture Association ·
https://www.motionpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/MPA-Notorious-Markets-2026-Submission_FINAL1.pdf#page=2Verified document copy: MPA submission as linked by TorrentFreak.
Official publication page and download destination verified. The large official PDF was read through the copy linked by TorrentFreak. The MPA attributes enforcement actions; the article does not treat this as proof of one specific court-triggered shutdown.
3. Pirate Streaming Giant Cineby Announces Surprise Shutdown
Ernesto Van der Sar, TorrentFreak ·
https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-streaming-giant-cineby-announces-surprise-shutdown/Original announcement; July 2026 audience estimate; legal context.
4. Cineby Starts Staged Shutdown of Its Piracy Empire
Ernesto Van der Sar, TorrentFreak · · Updated 2026-08-31
https://torrentfreak.com/cineby-starts-staged-shutdown-of-its-piracy-empire/Published shutdown schedule and the August 31 operator statement, including the reported provider losses and absence of an official alternative.
5. MPA Takes Credit for Shutting Down Piracy Giants AnimeFLV and Cineby
Ernesto Van der Sar, TorrentFreak ·
https://torrentfreak.com/mpa-takes-credit-for-shutting-down-piracy-giants-animeflv-and-cineby/MPA/ACE attribution and the distinction from the operators’ account.
6. Cineby piracy site shuts down after year of legal pressure
Callum Fairhurst, BetaNews ·
https://betanews.com/article/cineby-pirate-streaming-shutdown/Contemporary report of the staged shutdown and legal background.
7. Cineby Shuts Down
TROYPOINT
Preserved from the earlier source register, which lists an update of November 8, 2026. The exact article URL and update date could not be reverified, so no guessed article link is presented.
8. Cineby domain status test, November 4, 2026
NAT Checker ·
https://natchecker.com/blog/cinebySource of the dated domain-response table only. It is not a current availability check or proof of continuity between operators.
9. Internet Archive Wayback Machine, CDX indexes and historic captures
Internet Archive
The archive dates from the existing research are retained. Direct CDX rechecks were unavailable during this update. These links open archive lookup endpoints, not newly verified exact captures; the first capture is not a verified launch date.
10. Mass Pirate Site Domain Suspensions Aim to Slay the Streaming Hydra
Andy Maxwell, TorrentFreak ·
https://torrentfreak.com/mass-pirate-site-domain-suspensions-aim-to-slay-the-streaming-hydra-251008/Additional reference for the separate earlier 248-domain action, distinct from the July 2026 four-domain injunction.
Earlier source register, retained in full
Sources: MPA, 2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, Cineby.app entry, Similarweb data for August 2025 (motionpictures.org); MPA, 2026 Notorious Markets Submission, positive developments section (motionpictures.org); TorrentFreak, Pirate Streaming Giant Cineby Announces Surprise Shutdown, August 17, 2026 (torrentfreak.com); TorrentFreak, MPA Takes Credit for Shutting Down Piracy Giants AnimeFLV and Cineby, October 13, 2026 (torrentfreak.com); BetaNews, Cineby piracy site shuts down after year of legal pressure, August 28, 2026 (betanews.com); TROYPOINT, Cineby Shuts Down, updated November 8, 2026 (troypoint.com); NAT Checker, Cineby domain status test, November 4, 2026 (natchecker.com); Internet Archive Wayback Machine, CDX index and captures for cineby.cc, cineby.at, cineby.app, cineby.sc, cineby.gd, cineby.ws, cineby.tech and cineby.vg (web.archive.org).
Additional timeline reference: TorrentFreak, Cineby Starts Staged Shutdown of Its Piracy Empire, August 26, 2026, including the August 31 update (torrentfreak.com).