TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

BeIN Sports blocks Serie A broadcasts over Saudi dispute

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Paris, France
Tue, June 23, 2020

Share This Article

Change Size

BeIN Sports blocks Serie A broadcasts over Saudi dispute A photo shows a microphone of the beIN Sports television channel during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg football match between Monaco and Juventus at Stade Louis II Stadium in Monaco on May 3, 2017. (AFP/Franck Fife)

F

ans of Serie A around the world were deprived of the chance to watch the league's return from the coronavirus shutdown after BeIN Sports pulled its coverage from the air over a dispute with the league, the broadcaster confirmed on Monday.

Subscribers to the Qatar-owned network who tuned in to watch Saturday's comeback match between Torino and Parma were greeted with blue screens and that continued for Sunday's more high-profile matches featuring Atalanta and Inter Milan.

"No Serie A matches are being broadcast on BeIN Sports' entire global network," a spokesperson told AFP.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further, other than to say our legal and public position has been consistent and well documented for three years."

Viewers were also unable to tune in to league leaders Juventus' clash with Bologna on Monday. "For legal reasons, BeIN has had to take the unfortunate decision to not broadcast Serie A matches," the broadcaster tweeted.

The comments refer to a long-standing dispute with Saudi Arabia, which it claims is behind a pirate system, named BeoutQ, that shows its images via satellite.

BeIN's president Yousef al-Obaidly has criticised both Serie A and the Spanish football authorities for their relationships with Saudi Arabia despite the allegedly state-sponsored pirating of one of its key international broadcasters.

The group holds the rights to Serie A until 2021 in 35 areas including France, Turkey, 24 Middle East and North African countries, Indonesia and the Philippines, and claims to generate over half of the league's international revenues.

Last week the World Trade Organization largely agreed with BeIN, saying in a report the Saudi authorities had done nothing to prevent, nor punish the piracy.

The rights dispute is also part of a broader conflict between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, who cut diplomatic ties with and imposed an economic blockade on Doha over claims the country was to close to Iran. 

The blue screens that were presented to disappointed fans also come as BeIN and Serie A prepare to negotiate broadcast rights for upcoming seasons.

 

 

 

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.