The body representing England’s top tier football clubs said it “has seen compelling evidence demonstrating beoutQ is a highly sophisticated pirate operation which has used the services of satellite provider Arabsat to distribute the illegal content”.

“We operate a significant anti-piracy programme in a range of countries to protect the copyright of the League and our clubs,” said a Premier League spokesperson. “Like all content creators and rights owners, our business model is predicated on the ability to market and sell protected rights and we will take all available action to support the investment made in the League by our legitimate broadcast partners.”

The Premier League said it is confident that Saudi Arabian authorities “will ultimately uphold its clear rights when the action is commenced,” due to the country’s strong copyright framework.

Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Media is the legitimate rights holder of the Premier League across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with an agreement reached until the 2021/22 season. beoutQ, however, has this month broadcast all 20 matches from the league’s opening two weekends.

This content has been stolen from several legitimate Premier League licensees, according to the football organisation.

It is, it said, “committed to working with its broadcast partners and regulatory authorities in territories all around the world to stop the non-authorised exploitation of its content.

As part of the Sports Rights Owners Coalition, the Premier League has written to the European Commission to address this issue. French football’s governing body Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has also approached the European Commission over beoutQ’s alleged piracy of matches from Ligue 1 Conforama.

Despite accusations from a growing number of quarters, Riyadh-based regional satellite operator Arabsat has strenuously denied complicity in beoutQ broadcasts.

SOURCE : ALBILAD