beoutQ

beoutQ was a pirate pay television broadcaster that operated in Saudi Arabia between August 2017 and August 2019. The service consisted of ten satellite television channels that carried rebranded feeds of programming from Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports; it launched during a then-ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab countries over its alleged state sponsorship of terrorist groups, during which Saudi Arabia blocked beIN Media Group from doing business in the country. The service operated out of facilities in Saudi Arabia, and utilised the Arabsat satellites for transmission.

Concurrent with the service's operation, the Saudi government accused beIN Sports of engaging in anti-competitive behaviour and of participating in a smear campaign against the Kingdom with its sister company Al Jazeera; beoutQ's channels broadcast propaganda during advertising breaks which echoed these views. The service was condemned by beIN Media Group, sports bodies, and governments for its large-scale infringement of copyrights; beIN Sports's managing director described beoutQ as being an industrial-scale operation, and warned that the service was creating market conditions that would make them less likely to make larger investments in sports broadcast rights. Citing alleged inaction against the service, Saudi Arabia was placed on intellectual property watchlists by the United States Trade Representative and European Union.