UAE telecoms operator du has said talks are continuing with beIN over its channels continuing to be broadcast on its TV services.
It said the channels will remain on du Home until the end of this month.
A spokesperson for du said: “beIN channels will continue airing on du Home until 30 June 2023 but we can’t confirm yet if they will be available from 1st July 2023.
“Please be assured that we will keep you informed of any updates and developments as soon as we are able to.”
UAE telecoms operator Etisalat by e & confirmed on Thursday that it will no longer carry beIN channels on its TV services.
“Etisalat by e & informs its valued customers that it will discontinue beIN supplied channels due to commercial reasons, effective June 1, 2023,” the company said.
BeIN said it was disappointed not to renew its contract with Etisalat by e &.
“After lengthy discussions where beIN has tirelessly sought to extend our decade-long partnership with Etisalat, we are disappointed not to be able to renew this relationship at this time.” a spokesperson for the Qatari satellite broadcaster said.
The spokesperson said its channels will continue to be available on du, as well as the beIN satellite network and its streaming platform TOD.
Etisalat customer discounts
Etisalat by e & said customers with eLife packages where beIN content was previously bundled will now receive an automatic and continuing monthly discount of Dh184 on their bill for the period starting from June 1 onwards.
“Customers may change, downgrade or cease the affected eLife packages without penalty before September 30, 2023,” Etisalat by e & said.
“For customers subscribed to beIN as an add-on to their eLife service, the recurring add-on fees for the service will no longer be charged starting from 1st June 2023 and any exit charges for the beIN add-on will be waived.
“Business customers will be contacted directly. Customers who wish to continue accessing beIN content can do so directly through beIN official channels.”
The beIN Ultimate Package on Etisalat by e &, which includes sports, entertainment, music and movie channels, costs Dh200 ($54) a month.
BeIN Sports has the Middle East broadcasting rights to Premier League games and aired last year's Qatar World Cup throughout the region.
It will also show the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United this week, as well as Manchester City's Champions League final clash with Inter Milan on June 10.
'Screen went black after midnight'
Emirati Tarik Abdulaziz, 35, told The National that the channels disappeared from Etisalat during the second half of the Europa League final match between Roma and Sevilla.
“I was at my home enjoying the tense match when the screen went black.
“A message popped up saying the broadcast of BeIN channels stopped as of June 1. I was so angry,” Mr Abdulaziz said.
“I called the customer service and they told me about the new decision.”
He watched the rest of the match, which Sevilla won on penalties, on his phone using TOD app.
The removal of the channels prompted an outpouring of anger and disappointment among sports fans.
Iraqi Abdullah Farhan, 40, who lives in Sharjah, questioned why the service could not have remained on the service until the end of June.
“I subscribed to eLife service in August 2022 because of beIN Sports channels.
“They should have waited until the end of June maybe when all leagues finished,” he told The National.
Mr Farhan said most people subscribed to eLife because they want to watch football matches from different leagues and that he would now need to go out to watch the games he wanted to see, including the Champions League final featuring Manchester City and Inter Milan.
He added that Etisalat should have warned customers in advance “in order not to renew the subscription with Etisalat and get a BeIN receiver directly.”
Emirati Abdullah Ibrahim, who has been an eLife customer for two years, said he was surprised by the decision.
“It was a surprise and a bad decision to stop beIN Sports. I will cancel the whole subscription with Etisalat,” he said.
He received a message from Etisalat about removing the channels on May 28.
“There is the final match of the Champions League. It’s not a good time to remove these channels,” he added.
“I only subscribed with Etisalat to watch the English Premier League. It is my favourite league.”
