That we have arrived at a situation where a $1 billion arbitration claim has been made by Qatar’s broadcaster beIN against Saudi Arabia over its exclusion from the kingdom’s market, coupled with its action at the World Trade Organisation against what it says is the “most widespread piracy of sports broadcasting that the world has ever seen,” is not that surprising given how this row has simmered for months following the activities of channel beoutQ.
For seasoned media professionals working in this region, the scenario is even less surprising and perhaps inevitable given how beIN has operated since it began to aggressively accumulate broadcast rights for major international sporting events – from Champions League football to Grand Slam tennis to Major League baseball – over the last five years.
Since it was created as Al Jazeera Sport in 2003, the group has spent billions of dollars in its pursuit of hegemony in the Middle East and North Africa region, with little attention given to the health and future of the sector.
For a number of years now, there has been a concerted and collective effort by broadcasters across the region, including in the UAE and Saudi, to tackle satellite TV piracy and the associated theft of intellectual property, which is costing them up to $750 million a year. Last year, there were 257 raids carried out and thousands of pirate set top boxes seized across the region. Action by the MENA Broadcast Satellite Anti-Piracy Alliance resulted in 22 channels shutdown for illegally broadcasting content. The alliance was formed in 2014 but beIN only became a member earlier this year.
A senior industry source said that beIN in the past was known to not be too concerned about the theft of its own feeds while as many eyeballs as possible were watching its channels. This was partly a fudge amid tension between its small, paying subscriber base and the high rates that it charged advertising clients. It was also because sports are an integral part of Qatar’s projection of soft power.
In 2014, a year after it first secured the rights to show the English Premier League in the region’s 23 territories, BeIN was forced to restrict the number of live TV matches it broadcast after pressure from the league. Its feed was finding its way to UK viewers where Sky is dominant thanks to the billions of dollars it pays the Premier League for broadcast rights. In March of that year BeIN launched a campaign to curb the piracy, promising to protect the rights of subscribers.
The piracy of its feed did not stop completely. Weekend schedules of live Premier League games on TV in this region have never quite returned to the earlier, abundant days before the piracy issue first reared its head in the wake of beIN taking over the broadcast of top flight English football. The source said that piracy never became an urgent matter for beIN despite appearances. This was partly because its cash-heavy position had given it the upper hand in the Middle East. It could do what it liked.
A case in point: in 2013, the biggest regional broadcasters agreed to take a stand and not partake in a bidding war for the English game, in a kind of protest against the Premier League’s quest for each deal to be bigger than the last. Successive broadcasters had learnt that paying hundreds of millions of dollars for football was not commercially viable.
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Read more
In defeat, Saudi fans are united by an unusual foe
Saudi Arabia lodges complaint with Fifa over beIN’s ‘insulting’ World Cup coverage
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They wanted more realistic prices in order to make it profitable for them. Initially the protest worked. The three-year rights to show 380 games across all platforms for the 23 countries of the Middle East and North Africa were sold not to a broadcaster but to MP & Silva, a sports rights agency, in January 2013 for $300m. However, by July, beIN had broken ranks and acquired the rights, leaving the other broadcasters behind as it plotted its path to global sports broadcasting domination as its chief Nasser Al Khelaifi put it in a 2012 interview with Reuters.
According to the source, beIN would strategically overspend at first to blow any competition out of the market. As a result, many other broadcasters, particularly state channels, scaled back their operations and investment in sports. This has had the effect of reinforcing beIN’s dominance and this kind of behaviour, while not illegal, would likely have attracted the attention of competition authorities if it took place anywhere else in the world. While beIN operates in this way, sports broadcasting in the Middle East has little chance of becoming a commercial venture anytime soon and will remain a soft power play.
It also means that – outside of the biggest sports media properties – BeIN remains happy to pay the most to win rights but refuses to invest to grow these brands in any meaningful way. It means that sport in general suffers as a result. Other broadcasters, unable to win but a few of the more minor sports properties, treat all of what they are able to show as premium content, in contrast, supporting the competitions beyond just an initial cash payment and helping sport’s popularity to grow in the region.
It is the almost complete domination by beIN that has been so disruptive for the Middle East’s media sector and has not been healthy for sport or business in general, the source said.
Beyond commercial considerations, broadcast rights have also trumped the rights of the fans who are at the heart of why sports, like football, matter so much in the Middle East. Countries like Saudi and Egypt made it to the World Cup in Russia, while Qatar didn’t, yet Saudi and Egyptian fans had no access to their national teams’ games as a result of beIN’s domination - in the case of Egypt this was resolved at the last minute when beIN bowed to pressure and offered to broadcast a number of games free-to-air.
Added to this, the source said, is that beIN has never prioritised the fan experience, often falling down in terms of customer service. It has used its unassailable position to charge for what in many countries is free of charge, such as watching national teams at a major international competition. It has also failed to invest in local sports programming in any meaningful way beyond the minimum expected.
BeoutQ is not the first pirate broadcaster in the region and it won’t be the last given all of the above. That this channel has been so brazen about its illegal activity is perhaps what is really the new development.
What is not in doubt, however, is that beIN could have done more in the past to tackle piracy if it had wanted to, making this situation that it claims to be so damaging to its business, quite avoidable.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Scoreline
Syria 1-1 Australia
Syria Al Somah 85'
Australia Kruse 40'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Oppenheimer
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The%20specs
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Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
UK%20-%20UAE%20Trade
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
