On Wednesday, the American agency Bloomberg reported that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is nearing an official lifting of the ban on the Qatari sports group "BeIN Sports." The agency quoted an informed source stating that the decision could be made soon, within a matter of weeks. The source also confirmed that discussions are ongoing but could collapse at any moment.
The unnamed source, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the information, indicated that lifting the ban would allow "BeIN Sports" to start selling subscriptions for its sports content in Saudi Arabia. Bloomberg mentioned that this decision, if issued, would remove a major obstacle in Saudi Arabia's pursuit of acquiring the Newcastle United football team, which competes in the English Premier League.
The source added that "BeIN Sports" would no longer object to the acquisition if the ban is lifted in the Kingdom. Bloomberg reported that representatives from "BeIN Sports", the Saudi Investment Fund, and the English Premier League were not immediately reachable for comments. A spokesperson for the General Authority for Media Regulation in Saudi Arabia also did not respond promptly to requests for comment, according to Bloomberg.
In 2017, Riyadh imposed a ban on the Qatari media sports group, which holds the broadcasting rights for the English Premier League, coinciding with the onset of the Gulf crisis when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic relations with Doha and imposed an economic blockade. "BeIN Sports" later accused Saudi Arabia of allowing the piracy of its content through a channel called "BeoutQ," which Riyadh denies.
In June 2020, the World Trade Organization sided with Qatar in its dispute with Saudi Arabia, stating that Riyadh failed to meet its commitments to respect "BeIN Sports" intellectual property rights against the illegal broadcasting platform.
France Press quoted another informed source stating that "Riyadh seeks to settle a Qatari arbitration claim worth $1 billion regarding the piracy of its channels through the broadcasting of various sports events, particularly European football matches, by BeoutQ." The Kingdom's failure to take action against "BeoutQ" was a major reason for the English Premier League's decision last year to block a £300 million ($370 million) offer for the acquisition of Newcastle United by a group that includes the Saudi Investment Fund.
