New doubts over Newcastle's £300m Saudi Arabian takeover

beoutQ, which initially broadcast from the Arabsat satellite, 36 per cent owned by the Saudi state, stole the TV feed of Qatar company beIN SPORTS and also produced set-top boxes, which are now available throughout the region and in the UK, which allow you stream the Sky, BT, the BBC and other subscription channels illegally. The ongoing piracy has completely devalued the next round of Premier League TV rights for the Middle East region, which was worth £500m over three years in 2018. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, is also the chairman of the Public Investment Fund, meaning objections have been raised regarding the takeover’s compliance with Premier League rules over human rights issues and conflicts of interest. Government Ministers and HM Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Simon Collis, wíll continue to raise this matter at the highest levels in Saudi Arabia to make clear that action mustbetaken to prevent the infringement of intellectual property rights.’ That is thought to have led to the removal of BeoutQ from Arabsat but the proliferation of set-top boxes continues and the Premier League successful prosecuted a retailer in London for selling the set-top box.

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