Riyadh: The Ministry of Media strongly denied the alleged illegal broadcasting of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Gazette reported.
It slammed the statement which was issued by the Wimbledon authorities last Thursday, describing the allegations as "baseless, inaccurate and irresponsible".
Wimbledon’s press release baselessly claims that beoutQ is based in Saudi Arabia and suggests that Saudi Arabia is somehow complicit in beoutQ’s broadcasts.
"Wimbledon’s allegations parrot those emanating from Al Jazeera Media Network and its subsidiary beIN Sports, Wimbledon’s exclusive licensee in MENA," said the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media, rejecting the allegations unequivocally.
The press release alleged that beoutQ is an "illegal Saudi Arabian-based piracy operation", but cites no sources or evidence for that allegation.
The commission said that beoutQ’s set top boxes are available in many places, including Qatar and perhaps Eastern Europe. The channel beoutQ touts itself as based in either Cuba or Colombia.
Al Jazeera has long been banned from broadcasting in Saudi Arabia (KSA) and is the most recognisable company in Qatar.
Given the current diplomatic impasse between Qatar and numerous Arab nations, including KSA, claims emanating from Al Jazeera that beoutQ is based in KSA are highly suspect.
Suggesting that KSA is in any way complicit in beoutQ’s operation "both offends the Saudi people and is a malicious lie".
"The Ministry of Commerce and Investment, KSA, has relentlessly combatted beoutQ activities within the country, seizing thousands of set-top boxes that would otherwise be used to violate intellectual property (IP)," said the commission.
"Wimbledon’s suggestion that Arabsat is facilitating or otherwise turning a blind eye to beoutQ operations is simply more Al Jazeera propaganda. While Arabsat has its headquarters in Riyadh, it is not controlled by the KSA government at all."
Arabsat is a quasi-governmental entity of the Arab League, established by 22 of its members. While Al Jazeera has repeatedly accused Arabsat of facilitating beoutQ’s transmissions, to date Al Jazeera has provided no credible evidence that it has done so.
"Al Jazeera repeatedly points to the 'unparalleled sophistication' with which beoutQ has easily overcome Al Jazeera’s and beIN Sports’ state-of-the-art anti-piracy technology. Blaming Arabsat for beoutQ’s sophisticated piracy is misplaced in the extreme," said the commission.
(With inputs from Saudi Press Agency)