Premier League taking legal action against Middle East content pirates

The Premier League is to begin the process of bringing legal action against content pirates who it believes are illegally broadcasting live top-flight English football matches across the Middle East.

The action follows the discovery of new evidence, presented by beIN Media Group, which the Premier League says further demonstrates that its content is being made available in several countries across the region by an illegal pirate channel called “beoutQ”.

A legal counsel has been appointed in Saudi Arabia, where the pirates are said to be based. The Premier League has also made representations through the Sports Rights Owners Coalition to the European Commission and made the UK Government aware of the issue.

In a statement, the Premier League said: “Like other sports and content providers, our model is predicated on the ability to market, sell and protect commercial rights.

“The broadcasters and licensees who acquire these rights legitimately, like beIN Media Group, make our competition available to fans across the world, and their investment underpins our ability to support Premier League clubs in continuously working to make the competition as compelling as possible.

“As the legitimate Premier League rights holder across the Middle East and North Africa, we will continue to work with beIN Media Group to bring this highly organised and sophisticated illegal broadcast piracy to an end.”