English Premier League adds weight to BeoutQ piracy battle

The English Premier League has joined the chorus of sports rights-holding bodies and other organisations to condemn Saudi-based BeoutQ’s pirate broadcasts in the Middle East.

All 20 Premier League matches played during the first two weeks of the season were transmitted illegally by BeoutQ, which is alleged to have stolen the content from several Premier League licensees.

Rights to the competition in the Middle East are held by Qatar-based BeIN Media, which alleges that BeoutQ’s activities are tacitly supported by the Saudi government and related to the politically-motivated blockade of Qatar.

The Premier League has now appointed a legal counsel in Saudi Arabia to begin the process of taking legal action against the relevant parties involved. The organisation has also written to the European Commission about the issue as part of the Sports Rights Owners Coalition.

BeIN Media has condemned Saudi-based satellite operator Arabsat for broadcasting BeoutQ’s signals across the region.

BeIN Media has previously enlisted the support of other sporting bodies in its battle against BeoutQ, including France’s Ligue de Football Professionel and the Formula 1 Association.

The Qatar-based operator has also cited evidence provided by technology companies Cisco, Nagra and Overon, all of whom confirmed that BeoutQ was being distributed by Arabsat.