The "global sports backlash" against Saudi Arabia and its support of pirate streaming service beoutQ has extended to other general entertainment players, with the BBC and Sky calling on the European commission to "take formal action against Saudi Arabia," according to Paul Nicholson of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. The illegal streaming of every game from the World Cup in Russia "appears to have emboldened the Saudi-based channel," whose set-top boxes are now available internationally, including in the U.K. So far, the channel has been "allowed to broadcast via Saudi Arabia-based and 34% owned Arabsat pretty much unchecked." Qatari-based beIN Media launched a $1B lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, while FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League have appointed legal counsel "to try to protect their rights." A letter from Sky to European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström refers to BeoutQ as a "relatively new, but rapidly growing, source of audio-visual piracy." The letter, which was written by Daniel Friedlaender, the head of Sky's EU office, says that the piracy "impairs" investment in the creative industries, "reducing the value of rights and the ability to recoup investment" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 11/2).
MIXED REVIEWS: In Sydney, Charlie Peel reported Australia's first local one-day int'l cricket match not to be broadcast on free-to-air TV was "met with a mixed response from fans of the game." Some fans took to social media when they realized the first int'l men's cricket match of the season to be played on home soil was being aired on subscription service Fox Sports and not the Seven Network. Saturday's match was the first of 10 one-day and T20 internationals that will air exclusively on Fox Sports. Fox Cricket GM Matt Weiss said that cricket's debut on the channel "marked a special occasion for the sport." Federal Labor Senator Anthony Chisholm called on Cricket Australia to "negotiate a better outcome for fans" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/5).
