Iran state broadcaster in hot water at home, abroad over airing rights

The Iranian state broadcaster has found itself in a new dispute over broadcasting soccer games without permission, this time with Qatar’s beIN Sports and the UEFA.
France v Portugal - EURO 2016 - Final - Stade de France, Paris - Saint Denis, France - 10/7/16 - France's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris fails to save a goal by Portugal's Eder REUTERS/Charles Platiau TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSH8WK
France's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris fails to save a goal by Portugal's Eder in the Euro 2016 championship game in Paris, July 7, 2016. - REUTERS/Charles Platiau
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Zahra Alipour
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Shortly after the beginning of the European Soccer Championships in France last month, beIN Sports — the subsidiary of Qatar’s Al Jazeera network holding exclusive broadcasting rights for the tournament — announced that it would file a complaint against Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and a number of other broadcasters for illegally airing games. Additionally, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) stressed that TV networks that violated broadcasting rules would face fines.

Following these announcements, IRIB’s satellite broadcasts of Euro 2016 games were suspended, with the Iranian state broadcaster only airing the tournament via terrestrial transmission.

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