ABU DHABI // BeIN Sports is offering a free one-month extension to its online viewing service to customers who complained about not being able to watch English football matches.
Football fans subscribing to beIN Sports Connect for Dh500 were surprised on Saturday to find that they were unable to watch Premier League matches.
Fans said they received no notification when they subscribed that the bungling broadcaster beIN Sports did not have the rights.
In a rare moment of candour, the Qatari network apologised to furious fans by email.
“We apologise for any inconvenience our Barclays Premier League coverage may have caused you. As you are aware, due to TV rights restrictions our BPL coverage cannot be viewed over the internet. Please note, this is only a temporary restriction.
“In compensation for the inconvenience we may have caused, we will extend your current beIN Sports Connect subscription one month for free.”
Subscribers are told to reply to the email with their approval for the extension. BeIN Sports says it hopes to soon revert to the full schedule of matches.
It is believed the Premier League restricted the network’s rights because its broadcasts were pirated in the UK, despite its efforts to improve encryption.
Neither beIN Sports nor the Premier League have responded to requests for comment.
lcarroll@thenational.ae
