European football’s governing body UEFA and Qatar-based beIN Sports have agreed a new three-year television deal for the Middle East and North Africa regions until 2024, cementing a relationship that started in 2009.
The financial terms have not been revealed but The Athletic understands beIN is paying slightly less than it shelled out for the 2018-21 cycle but still in the region of $600 million, which represents a win for UEFA as the general trend in media rights sales across the sports industry has been downward.
The deal also represents a victory for beIN in its long-running dispute with Saudi Arabia, where the region’s major sports broadcaster remains banned — a state of affair which means it is still impossible to legally watch Euro 2020, the Champions League or any of UEFA’s other competitions.
What does the deal cover?
BeIN has the exclusive live rights for all of UEFA’s club and international competitions, including the European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in 24 countries from Morocco to Oman.
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What about Saudi Arabia?
The new agreement shows that UEFA is not backing down in its row with Saudi Arabia over the kingdom’s failure to shut down beoutQ, the highly sophisticated piracy operation that started stealing beIN’s feed after Qatar fell out with its neighbours in 2017, or reinstate beIN now that relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are improving.
Last year the World Trade Organisation ruled that Saudi Arabia actively promoted and supported beoutQ in contravention of international law protecting intellectual property.
Earlier this year, UEFA — along with other rights-holders — wrote to the US government urging it to keep Saudi Arabia on its IP rights black list.
UEFA also ignored a bigger financial offer for its MENA rights from an undisclosed Saudi broadcaster.
The decision to renew with beIN will be viewed as a reward for the company’s long-term support – it also owns the UEFA rights in France and several Asian markets – and a personal “thank you” to beIN chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi for his role in defeating the European Super League threat.
Al-Khelaifi is also the president of Paris Saint-Germain, the French side which rejected a place in the breakaway league, and became the boss of the European Club Association when its former leader, Juve owner Andrea Agnelli, quit to spearhead the ESL. The ECA and UEFA have worked closely on a radical revamp of Europe’s club competitions from 2024 onward.
What does this mean for UEFA?
As mentioned, the deal’s value is slightly down on the current agreement but that is in line with market expectations, as the likes of the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 have recently experienced declines in the value of their rights.
In that context, maintaining the relationship with beIN Sports, one of the world’s biggest spenders on premium sports rights, at a decent rate is a win for UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin.
Like every other sports organisation on the planet, UEFA’s finances have been hit hard by COVID-19, so this deal brings some much-needed certainty. Broadcasting accounts for 85 per cent of UEFA’s total revenue.
The new agreement is also significant for women’s sport, as beIN has committed to broadcasting the Women’s Champions League across the MENA region.
The rejection of the Saudi offer will also be seen as UEFA’s response to Saudi Arabia’s support for a FIFA plan to hold the men’s World Cup every other year, which would clearly damage the Nations League and other UEFA competitions.
(Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
