EXCLUSIVE: Premier League agrees to renew their Middle East & Africa overseas TV contract with BeIN Sports…in a blow to Newcastle’s Saudi owners – whose government has BLOCKED the TV channel in ongoing spat with Qatar
- The Premier League have agreed to extend their deal with BeIN Sports
- The three-year deal, which runs from 2025, will be worth around £550 million
- It is a huge blow to Newcastle’s owners amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar
The Premier League has agreed to renew their Middle East and Africa overseas TV contract with BeIN Sports on the move that will come as a major blow to Newcastle’s owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The Saudi Arabian government has been blocking BeIN TV broadcasts in their country since December over ongoing tensions with Qatar, and is also pursuing a hostile takeover of the Doha-based channel.
BeIN refuses to negotiate with PIF and in a significant push has agreed in principle to a new three-year deal with the Premier League from the 2025-26 season, worth around £550 million.
The clubs cleared the Premier League board to finalize the deal at last week’s shareholder meeting and it is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
The Premier League’s decision to renew with BeIN is also a blow to Newcastle, whose matches cannot legally be watched in Saudi Arabia due to an effective decision by the owners.
The Premier League has agreed to renew their Middle East and Africa overseas TV contract with BeIN Sports
The news will be a blow to the Saudi-backed owners of Newcastle, whose government has banned the Qatar-based channel
The club has made concerted efforts to promote itself in Saudi Arabia since taking over 18 months ago, with Eddie Howe’s first team visiting regularly each winter and last summer launching a new third kit to match the green and white colors of the kingdom.
The Premier League is dissatisfied with the Saudi boycott, which ran from 2017 to 2021 before being resumed at the start of the World Cup last November, but has been powerless to end it.