The pirate streaming site "Coke and Popcorn" has shutdown. The site, which linked to a wide variety of TV-shows and movies, doesn't specify a reason but says that the decision is permanent. The operator warns users not to fall for any copycat sites and points them to "safe" and "better" options such as Netflix instead.

Pirate sites come and go all the time. Often they disappear quietly, without an official word, but that’s not the case with the popular streaming site Coke and Popcorn.

Late last week the streaming portal suddenly posted a surprise update announcing that it had shut down its service for good.

While the exact reasons for the surprise decision remain unknown, the site’s operator is clear that users should hold no hope for a comeback. Instead, he points them to “better” alternatives such as Netflix.

“As many of you noticed the site has not been updating for quite some time. It is time to say good bye, Sorry to announce that Coke & Popcorn had closed down for good,” a message posted on the site reads.

“There are now a lot of other better places to enjoy online TV, we recommend Netflix,” the site’s operator adds.

Coke and Popcorn, which operated from a Swiss domain name, has been around for several years but remained out of the spotlight most of the time.

In 2014 it was listed by Netnames in a piracy advertising report, where it was classified as a medium-sized linking site, which potentially earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in yearly revenue.

It’s possible that there is some kind of legal pressure behind the “voluntary” shutdown, but the true reason is open to speculation. A decline in advertising revenue may have prompted it to throw in the towel, however.

Taking a page from the anti-piracy playbook, Coke and Popcorn closes with a warning to former users, urging them not to trust copycats as these may be ridden with malicious ads or worse. Instead, they should try Netflix.

“If you see other fake duplicates of CnP in the future who claim to be us, we urge you NOT to use them as they all will probably serve harmful virus & malicious ads and hidden software that WILL harm your computers & steal your private information,” the operator warns.

“Please be careful and use only safe alternative sites like Netflix.”