DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition (GAC) said on Tuesday it had permanently canceled the license of Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports, which has been barred from broadcasting in the kingdom since mid-2017 due to a dispute with Qatar. BeIN holds regional broadcasting rights for several major global sporting events and entertainment shows, including England’s Premier League soccer. The broadcaster was initially blocked in Saudi Arabia under a boycott imposed when Riyadh and its allies severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017 over Doha’s alleged support of terrorism, a charge Qatar denies. The beIN spokesperson said GAC’s decision was the result of legal proceedings that “repeatedly violated beIN’s due process rights”. BeoutQ is widely available in Saudi Arabia but Riyadh has repeatedly said it is not based there, and that the Saudi government is committed to protecting intellectual property.

Source: Egypt Today July 14, 2020 15:56 UTC