Thousands of fans awaiting the start of the English Premier League season next month will most likely need to find alternative ways to spend their free time once matches kick-off on August 11.
Amid the current diplomatic crisis with Qatar, access to the beIN Sports TV network has been blocked by local providers in the UAE.
BeIN has exclusive rights to broadcast live English Premier League football matches across the Middle East and North Africa region and with Qatar showing little interest in ceasing its support of extremist groups, the crisis is expected to roll on, which means the blackout of the sports network will also continue without being resolved.
If the situation persists into the second half of the season, however, the contract held by Qatar-based beIN with the Premier League may then be in jeopardy, according to experts in sports broadcasting rights.
BeIN, originally branded Al Jazeera Sports before it was spun off in 2014, is entering the second-year of a three-year contract but is likely already facing questions from both the league and advertisers over its ability to reach viewers, according to a UK-based sports legal expert who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.
While the Premier League will be jittery about losing viewers in one of its most lucrative viewing and sponsorship markets, it will think long before ending a contract with a long-term media partner which could reduce competition for future rights battles, said the legal expert.
READ MORE: Fans turn to British and German internet streaming sites for football
The league would probably have a legal justification built into the contract to terminate if the dispute continued but “the bigger issue is if they would want to,” said the expert. “There will be a tipping point. My gut feeling is that it will not be in the first two, three or four months of the Premier League season.”
Saudi Arabia, which announced last month the launch of a sports network to challenge beIN’s dominance, has also blocked its channels. BeIN has reacted angrily and says it has no long-term concerns about its future prospects.
“What we’re told by beIN is that a lot of rights holders are very sympathetic to the situation,” said Robin Jellis, the editor of TV Sports Markets. “I think the Premier League would be understanding of the situation. Do they [beIN] have a genuine fear of losing the rights? I would say no.”
While beIN also broadcasts in markets outside the Middle East such as in France and the US, taken together Saudi Arabia and the UAE account for over half of its regional subscriber base of about 2.5 million, according to 2013 data.
BeIN is also the exclusive broadcaster in the region of live matches from Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League.
The first el Clasico of the 2016/17 season between Barcelona and Real Madrid was watched by 520,000 people in the region, according to beIN.
Despite experts' warnings about the Premier League, on Thursday, beIN said it had agreed with Uefa an extension of the rights to broadcast Champions League matches until 2021.
Nasser Al Khalaifi, beIN’s chairman and chief executive, confirmed that for the upcoming football season it would continue to be the provider all televised matches to which it had broadcast rights to in the region.
While direct BeIN subscribers in the UAE are said to still be able to receive a signal, they will be in a minority as about 700,000 people are subscribers of Etisalat’s TV services while du has about 200,000 customers, according to consultants Frost & Sullivan.
“We do not have any comments to share in this regard. We shall keep you posted in case there is any related development,” a du spokesperson said when contacted by The National.
Satellite pay-TV provider OSN has also stopped broadcasting beIN channels.
In a March report, Frost & Sullivan said that the Middle East “is passionate about football and other sports in a way that it is likened to a religious following”.
________________________
Qatar Crisis
> UAE diplomat says Al Qaeda attacked Emirati troops after Qatar tip off
> Doha must negotiate its way back into the fold or face years of isolation
> Saudi Arabia lets Qataris go on Haj, despite diplomatic row
________________________
“Subscriptions also rise during the season, as people are willing to pay any price to watch the sports events live,” it said.
Restaurants and cafes that show live football have told The National that their businesses will be impacted.
BeIN also holds the rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups but the Premier League is an important audience draw for beIN, from which it secures its highest ratings. Terms for the current beIN deal with the English Premier League announced in November 2015 were not revealed but was believed to be sharply up on its previous three-year deal reportedly about US$315 million.
Major sports contracts can include commitments to levels of viewers and a clause which allows for the contract to be put on ice in the event of unforeseen circumstances for an agreed period of time, according to the legal expert who was not party to the terms of the deal. After that period of time the league could have the right to terminate the contract.
The big five European leagues secured $7.3 billion in broadcasting revenues in 2015/16, with the Premier League the biggest earner, according to annual survey by financial services firm Deloitte. Each of the 20 Premier League clubs earned nearly £30 million ($39m) from overseas broadcasting rights in that year.
This is not the first time that beIN has had problems with broadcasting live English Premier League matches in the region. Three years ago it angered fans when it limited the number of matches it broadcast live as it battled the piracy of its signal into other markets like the UK.
Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Spec%20sheet
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The view from The National
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html" charset="UTF-8" /></head><body><!--PSTYLE=* Labels%3aFH Label 18 Sport--><p>Beach soccer</p><!--PSTYLE=BY Byline--><p>Amith Passela</p><p /></body></html>
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The%20specs
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
More on Quran memorisation:
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
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