beIN SPORTS has joined the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), representing ACE’s expansion beyond piracy of movies and television series programming. beIN MEDIA GROUP was famously the victim of one of the largest piracy operations ever, known as beoutQ, which from 2017 to 2019 distributed stolen programming to millions of consumers across the Middle East and North Africa via the Internet and through illicit set-top boxes.
The beIN MEDIA GROUP is the world’s largest investor in sports content, according to its press office. Its programming is available in 43 countries across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), Europe, Asia and North America. Its flagship sports channel beIN SPORTS broadcasts many of the world’s premier sporting competitions. beIN is also an industry leader in tackling piracy throughout its territories, through investing in world-leading anti-piracy technology and broader anti-piracy actions.
beIN MEDIA GROUP distributes a wide range of programming, including, the UEFA Champions League, the AFC Champions League, English Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, every tennis Grand Slam, the NBA, the summer and winter Olympic Games, World Athletics, and later in 2022, beIN will broadcast the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in MENA and France.
According to ACE, membership by additional sports broadcasters is expected “in coming months.”
Read the ACE press release
Read the beIN MEDIA GROUP press release
Why it matters
“We are delighted to be entering this partnership with ACE and foresee benefits from working with them to tackle piracy,” said Cameron Andrews, Legal Director for Anti-Piracy, beIN MEDIA GROUP.
Mr. Andrews should know. the beoutQ operation cost beIN MEDIA GROUP billions of dollars from 2017 to 2019, and involved numerous government agencies, law enforcement and technology suppliers.
“Piracy is a truly global problem that threatens the full range of international and local movies and entertainment, as well as sport and live content,” said Mr. Andrews. “Threats to intellectual property rights is a major problem in many of the markets in which beIN operates, so we will be working closely with ACE to investigate and bring legal enforcement actions against the major pirates who are seriously threatening continued investment in the world-class sports and entertainment services and productions that consumers deserve.”
