Saudi Arabia has reversed its decision to ban beIN Sport — the Premier League’s official Middle East broadcaster — from operating in the country.
The Athletic understands that beIN will no longer be barred from operating in the kingdom, ending a ban of four and a half years.
The reversal means Premier League, UEFA and FIFA matches will once again be broadcast legally in the country.
Advertisement
The news could also have implications for Newcastle’s potential takeover by a Saudi-led consortium, also featuring Amanda Staveley and the Reuben Brothers.
The consortium attempted to buy Newcastle from Mike Ashley for £300 million. But it later ended its bid to buy the club while the deal was being scrutinised by the Premier League.
Under the terms of that deal, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), would have acquired an 80 per cent stake in the Premier League club.
The Premier League decided that members of Saudi Arabia’s ruling government would become directors of the club and should therefore be subject to the owners’ and directors’ test — an issue that is still under arbitration.
The reversal, meanwhile, ends a lengthy dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, Qatar filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) saying Saudi Arabia was blocking beIN — a Qatari company — from broadcasting in the kingdom.
The beIN Corporation subsequently launched an international investment arbitration against Saudi Arabia for damages totalling more than $1 billion.
Qatar also accused Saudi Arabia of failing to take effective action against alleged piracy of beIN’s content by beoutQ, a pirate broadcaster.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to reverse its ban of beIN Sport will see beoutQ’s operation turned off. beIN Sport’s international investment arbitration will also end.
Saudi Arabia has also committed to removing all pirate websites when informed of them by beIN.
Last year, the WTO ruled that Saudi Arabia helped breach international piracy laws in relation to the beoutQ. Saudi Arabia has previously denied aiding the beoutQ operation and has insisted there is no link between its government and the alleged piracy.
beIN Sports was broadcast on an irregular basis in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, with beIN commenting at the time: “Regarding breaking stories that beIN is fully operational in Saudi Arabia, nothing has materially changed as far as we are aware at this stage — we are constantly monitoring.
Advertisement
“Our website is still fully blocked in Saudi Arabia and we have received no official communication from the Saudi authorities to suggest that our license has been re-instated.
“However, like everyone, we are hopeful of positive moves by Saudi to allow beIN operations back in the country after three and a half years. We await to see.”
GO DEEPER
Why Newcastle opposed the new Premier League TV deal
How could this impact Newcastle’s takeover?
beIN Sports have been one of the biggest opponents of the takeover.
The chief executive of the network, Yousef al-Obaidly, last year wrote to the chairs of top-flight clubs about the deal, urging them to “fully interrogate” the consortium.
In the letter, Al-Obaidly accused the Saudi Arabian government of the “facilitation of the near three-year theft of the Premier League's commercial rights — and in turn your club's commercial revenues — through its backing of the huge-scale beoutQ pirate service”.
A resolution between Qatar and Saudi Arabia on this issue therefore removes a major obstacle that has helped to prevent the takeover from taking place.
But other issues impacting the potential takeover — including the one currently being scrutinised through arbitration — very much remain in play.
(Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
The latest
NEWS | Saudi Arabia has reversed its decision to ban beIN Sport — the Premier League’s official Middle East broadcaster — from operating in the country.
More from @AdamCrafton_ & @mjshrimperhttps://t.co/k0IfFzS1fg
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 6, 2021