Premier League condemns football live streaming channel beoutQ operating on 'industrial scale'

The Premier League has spoken out against a major piracy operation operating out of Saudi Arabia that has broadcast every game of the season so far.

It is the latest sporting organisation to condemn the BeoutQ channel, after Fifa, Uefa, Formula 1 and World Tennis all took a stand against the "industrial scale" illegal live streaming.

BeoutQ has been broadcasting live sporting events since 2017, after a diplomatic dispute in the Middle East saw Saudi Arabia cut trade ties with Qatar.

The broadcasting rights for the Premier League across the Middle East and North Africa are owned by BeIN Media, a Doha-based network.

Several nations in the region cut trade ties with Qatar over the country's alleged financing of terrorism. This has fuelled the rise of BeoutQ, which has grown to 10 different channels since broadcasting last year.

The use of satellite broadcasting technology, set-top boxes, and overlaid commentary has led BeIN Media to describe BeoutQ as "the most widespread piracy of sports broadcasting that the world has ever seen."

Tom Keaveny, managing director of BeIN Media Group, said: "The political games played by Arabsat, BeoutQ and its Saudi backers in stealing our content have consequences that affect the future of world sport, not just BeIN Sports. That is why the international sports community... have all take a stand and publicly condemned this Saudi-based piracy."

The Premier League has appointed legal counsel in Saudi Arabia in an effort to bring legal action against BeoutQ, with the hope that the country's copyright framework will uphold its rights.

"The Premier League has written to the European Commission as part of the Sports Rights Owners Coalition. This is just one of the measures we are taking to address this very serious issue," a spokesperson for the Premier League said on Tuesday, 21 August.

"We operate a significant anti-piracy programme in a range of countries to protect the copyright of the League and our clubs. 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."

Last week, the top football division in France, Ligue 1, also criticised BeoutQ. Both leagues plan to bring the issue before the European Commission.