US government urged to take strong action against Saudi pirate channel ‘beoutQ’

BeoutQ, a Saudi Arabia-based pirate channel, has been shamelessly hacking into Qatar’s beIN Sport feed for quite some time now.

The entity, which has been unabashedly stealing TV signals of major sports events around the globe, is finally feeling the heat.

For the first time, a coalition of sports and entertainment bodies have urged the US government to take stringent action against beoutQ and end its functioning, reported Gulf Times.

The development is a significant show of force against the continued daily theft of world sport and entertainment by ‘beoutQ,’ beIN Media Group said.

A host of leading US sports and entertainment bodies, trade associations, and international broadcasters have made submissions to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) demanding that Saudi Arabia is identified as a Priority Foreign Country or be placed on the Priority Watch List.

This is ‘as a result of the country’s continued support of the boldest and most sophisticated pattern of broadcast piracy that the world has ever seen,’ said the statement.

The detailed submission to the USTR, consisting of 138 pages of description and evidence, was made by beIN Media Group and Miramax film studio, according to Qatar Tribune.

“While the Saudi Government could easily put an end to the widespread piracy emanating from within its borders, it has chosen to look the other way. As a result, the economic damage to beIN, its rights holders, and the international sports and entertainment industries continue to grow by the day,” said the submission.

Separate submissions were made by the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance, which represents 26 leading audiovisual organisations, the Sports Coalition, on behalf of six major US sports leagues; the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the US Tennis Association (USTA) as well as international broadcasters Sky and Canal+.

Each submission specifically, directly and publicly highlighted that beoutQ has continued to operate its pirate operation in Saudi Arabia with the full knowledge of the Saudi Government.

Several submissions asserted that the Saudi Government offers a ‘safe haven’ for piracy that has now spread across Europe and the US. 

This latest development is significant as it represents a critically crucial public call for the US Government to intervene with the Saudi Government to stop the continued daily theft of the commercial rights of the most famous and valuable brands in US sports and entertainment. 

European rights holders have previously informed the European Commission and the EU Member States of the rampant piracy, requesting action.