Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Saudi Arabia blocks Qatari beIN's World Cup streaming platform

Saudi Arabia blocks Qatari beIN's World Cup streaming platform

Saudi Arabia has blocked Qatari broadcaster BeIN's popular streaming service TOD.tv since the start of the World Cup on Nov. 20, according to a Reuters witness, in a sudden disruption after 10 months of smooth operations.
Saudi Arabia has blocked Qatari broadcaster BeIN's popular streaming service TOD.tv since the start of the World Cup on Nov. 20, according to a Reuters witness, in a sudden disruption after 10 months of smooth operations.

BeIN Sports, with its online platforms including TOD.tv, is the official broadcaster of the 2022 soccer World Cup to audiences in the Middle East and North Africa.

Accessing the TOD.tv page from within Saudi Arabia prompts a page that reads, "Sorry, the requested page is violating the regulations of the ministry of media." BeIN channels in general were still available via satellite dishes.

TOD.tv sent a message to its subscribers in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 24 saying it was experiencing an outage.

"Due to matters beyond our control, we are experiencing an outage in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is currently impacting TOD.tv, the official streaming partner of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," the company said in a email obtained by Reuters.

The Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters outside office hours. FIFA did not immediately respond.

BeIN declined to comment.

Twitter users have inundated TOD.tv's account with messages demanding their subscription fees be returned after the outage, or posting with the hashtag "Media ministry blocks TOD."

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the opening ceremony of the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East. At a later Saudi match, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani wore a Saudi flag around his neck.

The moves were seen as signs that Qatar and Saudi Arabia had resumed their relationship after Riyadh and its allies severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in 2017 over accusations Doha supported terrorism, a charge Qatar has denied.

That year, beIN was blocked in Saudi Arabia.

In 2020, the World Trade Organization (WTO) found Saudi Arabia had breached global rules on intellectual property rights by failing to prosecute pirate TV channel beoutQ for piracy of beIN's content.

That same year, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Competition cancelled beIN Sports' licence.

It began broadcasting again in Saudi in 2021.

In October, a source familiar with beIN told Reuters that Saudi equity firms and U.S. investors were considering an investment in beIN. Bloomberg had reported that Saudi wealth fund PIF had shown interest in the broadcaster.

TOD, a beIN streaming platform that exclusively hosts beIN Sports content as well as other Middle Eastern entertainment shows, is competing with Saudi-owned MBC Group's platform Shahid for millions of subscribers in the region.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×