BeIN Corp. said that "it will spend less to broadcast major competitions unless the industry does more to stop a rival network stealing its content," according to Hellier & Sergie of BLOOMBERG. The Qatar-based pay-TV company said that the competing outfit, known as beoutQ, is backed by Saudi Arabia, which is "waging a diplomatic and trade war against its small Gulf Arab neighbor." The Saudi government "denies having any links" to beoutQ. BeIN execs said that the actions of beoutQ and other pirate outfits targeting its customers in Europe, the Middle East and beyond "make it less profitable to show big events." BeIN has already conceded Spanish rights for La Liga to Telefónica and "may not bid at all for rights in some Middle East countries where it has been hit hardest" by beoutQ, it said. That "could deal a significant blow to some of the world's wealthiest competitions." BeIN holds Middle East and North Africa rights for events including the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Premier League, Wimbledon tennis and NBA basketball. Its Premier League deal is worth $140M per season. That is around 10% of the league's estimated overseas income. BeIN Managing Dir Tom Keaveny said, "There's piracy going on here at an industrial level." BeIN's threat "could spur powerful sports organizations to put extra pressure on the Saudis." While some sports bodies have called publicly for the Saudis to act against beoutQ, others have been "less direct in their criticism." Formula 1 owner Liberty Media spoke out against the bootleg channel in June, saying that it took intellectual property infringement "extremely seriously," without mentioning Saudi Arabia (BLOOMBERG, 11/14).
