The Premier League issued a statement saying that it is aware of new evidence presented by beIN Media Group, which "further demonstrates that its content is being illegally broadcast in Saudi Arabia" and made available in several countries across the Middle East by the beoutQ pirate channel, according to Colin Mann of ADVANCED TELEVISION. The EPL said, "Like other sports and content providers, our model is predicated on the ability to market, sell and protect commercial rights. The broadcasters and licensees who acquire these rights legitimately, like beIN Media Group, make our competition available to fans across the world." The EPL said that it has "already appointed legal counsel in Saudi Arabia to begin the process of bringing action against the parties involved in this piracy." The league added that it has also made representations through the Sports Rights Owners Coalition to the European Commission and made the U.K. Government aware of the issue (ADVANCED TELEVISION, 1/21).
'CRITICAL MASS': In London, Nathan Salt reported Reddit soccer streams, "a popular page where football fans could find live broadcasts of matches, has effectively been shut down" due to a warning over copyright infringement. Known as r/soccerstreams, "the page's popularity soared and went on to amass more than 425,000 subscribers." But with a number of the streams uploaded "found to be illegal," a moderator post on Saturday read, "We've officially reached critical mass" (DAILY MAIL, 1/21).
