Saudi Arabia permanently cancels license of Qatar's beIN Sports
The popular Doha-based sports network had been officially blocked in Saudi Arabia since the 2017 diplomatic row between the two Gulf countries.
Saudi Arabia permanently canceled the license of the Qatari sports channel beIN sports Tuesday. The popular network has been officially blocked in Saudi Arabia since the 2017 diplomatic spat between the two countries.
Saudi authorities said beIN sports engaged in “monopolistic practices” by compelling customers to buy non-sports content in bundle deals during the 2016 Champions League soccer tournament. BeIN sports had exclusive broadcasting rights to the popular European event and required the purchases for viewing the games, according to the Saudi outlet Al Arabiya.
The channel rejected Saudi Arabia’s conclusion.
“This decision was arrived at through sham legal proceedings that repeatedly violated beIN's due process rights at every turn and the decision itself is not only contrary to international law but also the most basic principles of competition law,” said beIN Media Group, which owns beIN Sports, in a statement published by the state-run Qatar News Agency.
