Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst and international relations scholar, said the political differences between BeIN Sports’ Arabic and English services were similar to those between Al Jazeera’s news channels. In the wake of the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab nations, the beIN Sports channels were briefly banned in the United Arab Emirates in June 2017, and Saudi Arabia banned beIN from selling its subscriptions in the country. At least some posts by other individuals that declared premature victories in specific states were not flagged. [34] The channel was officially launched on 31 January 2014 via MTS and NEXTV. Xtra Champions League (Valencia playoffs UEFA Champions League). fixtures. On 25 May 2016, the U.S. beIN Sports announced that it had acquired partial rights to Conference USA college sports, including a package of selected college football, basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer matches. beIN Sports has retained the multi-platform broadcast rights for Italy's Serie A for the 2018-19 to 2020-21 season cycle. [48][49][50][51], In April 2020, amidst claims of Saudi PIF taking over Premier League club Newcastle United, beIN Sports wrote a letter to league's chief executive Richard Masters and issued a notice to 19 clubs, except Newcastle. In the United States and Canada, beIN Sports holds the rights to broadcast La Liga, Ligue 1, CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers, Copa Libertadores and Football League Championship matches and Real Madrid TV, in addition to the major motorcycle road racing championships (MotoGP and World Superbike). beIN Sports will be the exclusive Arabic language Serie A broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region). He also posted similarly misleading statements about the election on Facebook and Twitter. [68], In November 2019, beIN Sports announced that it was reviewing its partnership with Serie A and considering cancelling all of its agreements in Italian football, following the league's decision to play a Supercoppa Italiana match between Juventus and Lazio in Saudi Arabia, despite piracy concerns. But in April 2019, ASO confirmed that one its major event, Dakar Rally would be held in Saudi Arabia from 2020 under a multi-year accord. [12], The name "beIN Sports" was first revealed in early 2012. ", also factoring in the aforementioned beoutQ piracy operation. But in matchweek 28, beIN Sports social medias apologizes to all global viewers and announced the comeback coverage.
It claims strong backing from competitions including England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and the Wimbledon tennis championships, as part of a long-running campaign against its sports rights being pirated in Saudi Arabia.