RIYADH | SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition (GAG) said on Tuesday it had permanently canceled the license of Qatari broadcaster beIN, which has been barred from broadcasting in the Kingdom since mid-2017 due to a dispute with Qatar.
GAC said in a statement it was also fining beIN Sports 10 million riyals ($2.7 million) for what it said were ‘monopolistic practices’, a charge the broadcaster denied.
BeIN holds regional broadcasting rights for several major global sporting events and entertainment shows, including England’s Premier League soccer. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund is seeking to buy Premier League club Newcastel United.
The broadcaster was initially blocked in Saudi Arabia under a boycott imposed when Riyadh and its allies severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017 over Doha’s alleged support of terrorism, a charge Qatar denies.
GAC said it found beIN Sports had ‘abused its dominant position through several monopolistic practices’ related to what it described as an exclusive sports broadcast bundle for the 2016 UEFA European Championship soccer matches.
‘The decision is nonsensical on every single level, banning beIN for packaging rights in the standard way that sports and entertainment broadcasters all around the world do, and indeed as other broadcasters active in the Saudi market also do’, a beIN Media Group spokesperson said in a statement.
In 2018, Qatar filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO), saying Saudi Arabia was blocking beIN from broadcasting in the kingdom and said it had refused to take effective action against alleged piracy of beIN’s content by beoutQ, a commercial-scale pirating operation.
A WTO panel last month found Saudi Arabia had breached global rules on intellectual property rights by failing to prosecute beoutQ, while supporting Riyadh’s view that it could block the Qatari Broadcaster from obtaining legal counsel in the kingdom on grounds of national security.
The beIN spokesperson said GAC’s decision was the result of legal proceeding that ‘repeatedly violated beIN’s due process rights’.
BeoutQ is widely available in Saudi Arabia but Riyadh has repeatedly said it is not based there, and that the Saudi government is committed to protecting intellectual property. Reuters could not determine who owns or operated beoutQ.
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron in which they discussed bilateral relations. ‘During the call, they reviewed relations between the two countries and opportunities for joint cooperation. Regional and international developments were discussed, and a number of issues of common interest … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Saudi Crown Prince Receives Phone Call From French President Macron→
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia expects to re-open its embassy in Qatar in the coming days, Saudi’s foreign minister said on Saturday, following a U.S.-backed détente last week in a three – year-old dispute between Arab states. It is just a matter a logistics, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told journalists in Riyadh … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Saudi To Reopen Qatar Embassy In Coming Days – Saudi Minister→
AL ULA – – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says major investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia will amount to six trillion dollars over the next ten years, including 3 trillion dollars in investments in new projects, within the framework of the opportunities provided by Vision 2030, reported Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia’s Crown … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Investments In Saudi Arabia’s Economy Will Reach Six Trillion Dollars: Crown Prince→
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia warned on Wednesday its citizens against travel without prior approval to 12 countries where the coronavirus pandemic is still not under control.The Interior Ministry said the countries were Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Somalia, Armenia, Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Belarus.It added that the same permission applies to other countries … Continue reading TRAVEL | Saudi Arabia Warns Citizens Against Travel To 12 Countries Without Approval Over Virus Fears→
RIYADH – – Oman’s Sultan Haitham will be succeeded by his eldest son Dhi Yazan, according to a new basic law published on Tuesday that creates a new position of crown prince and established succession from ruler to the eldest son. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said has announced plans for the constitutional change on Monday, … Continue reading ROYALS | Oman Sultan’s Eldest Son Dhi Yazan To Succeed Him, Becoming First Crown Prince→
Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube said on Tuesday it has suspended Donald Trump’s channel as it violated policies for inciting violence after last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol by the president’s supporters. Online platforms and social media companies are distancing themselves from, and taking action against, those that encouraged or engaged in the violence in Washington, … Continue reading SOCIAL MEDIA | YouTube Suspends Trump’s Channel After Violating Policy On Inciting Violence→
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia welcomed on Monday the American admiration’s decision to designate the Iran – backed Houthi militias and their leaders as terrorist. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the move is in line with the ‘demands of the legitimate Yemeni government to rein in the Houthis over their violations that have … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Saudi Arabia Welcomes Washington’s Designation Of Houthis As Terrorist→