Motor racing-F1 returns to beIN Sports in Middle East with 10-year deal (updated)

Liberty Media

28/02/2024 14:18

(Adds details, background on deal in paragraphs 1-6, 8 and 10)
       Feb 28 (Reuters) - 
    Formula One is returning to Qatar's beIN Sports in the
Middle East, North Africa and Turkey after agreeing a 10-year
deal with the pay-TV broadcaster who walked away in 2019 due to
piracy in the region.
        Liberty Media-owned Formula One and beIN announced the 
exclusive deal on Wednesday ahead of the season-opening Bahrain
Grand Prix.
        No financial details were given but one source suggested
the deal could be worth $500 million over the course of the
contract.
  
        The pay-TV broadcaster had decided not to renew its
previous deal after a pirate 'BeoutQ' channel emerged in 2017.
        Saudi Arabia and its allies had launched a diplomatic
and trade boycott of Qatar, accusing the tiny Gulf state of
supporting terrorism, which Doha denied.
  
        BeoutQ was widely available in Saudi Arabia but Riyadh
denied it was based there.
  
        The 3-1/2 year boycott ended in 2021 and Qatar has been
steadily mending ties with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab
Emirates and Bahrain since then.
        BeIN's popular streaming service TOD.tv was blocked in
Saudi Arabia during the 2022 soccer World Cup, however.
    The regional F1 rights went free-to-air in 2019 under a
five-year deal with MBC Group, founded by Saudi businessman
Waleed al-Ibrahim. 
    The new deal gives beIN rights to broadcast every race
weekend, starting with Saturday's opener to the record 24 round
season.
    Formula One said they would work closely together to develop
localised content for the region across various formats and
platforms.
    The Middle East has four grands prix with Saudi Arabia
following Bahrain next week and Qatar and Abu Dhabi the final
two rounds in December.
    BeIN is also the exclusive broadcaster of Formula One in 10
Asia Pacific countries as part of a deal running to the end of
next year.

 (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Christian
Radnedge and Toby Davis)
 ((alan.baldwin@thomsonreuters.com; +442075427933;))