<s>
beoutQ	B-Application
was	O
a	O
pirate	B-Application
pay	O
television	O
broadcaster	O
that	O
operated	O
in	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
between	O
August	O
2017	O
and	O
August	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
beoutQ	B-Application
began	O
operations	O
after	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
blocked	O
beIN	O
Media	O
Group	O
from	O
offering	O
its	O
services	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
;	O
the	O
action	O
stemmed	O
from	O
a	O
then-ongoing	O
diplomatic	O
crisis	O
between	O
Qatar	O
and	O
other	O
Arab	O
countries	O
over	O
its	O
alleged	O
state	O
sponsorship	O
of	O
terrorist	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
channels	O
also	O
carried	O
propaganda	O
accusing	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
of	O
being	O
a	O
monopoly	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
condemned	O
by	O
beIN	O
Media	O
Group	O
,	O
sports	O
bodies	O
,	O
and	O
governments	O
for	O
its	O
large-scale	O
infringement	O
of	O
copyrights	O
;	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
's	O
managing	O
director	O
described	O
beoutQ	B-Application
as	O
being	O
an	O
industrial-scale	O
operation	O
,	O
and	O
warned	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
creating	O
market	O
conditions	O
that	O
would	O
make	O
them	O
less	O
likely	O
to	O
make	O
larger	O
investments	O
in	O
sports	O
broadcast	O
rights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Citing	O
the	O
impact	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
beIN	O
declined	O
to	O
renew	O
its	O
rights	O
to	O
Formula	B-Application
One	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Bundesliga	O
in	O
the	O
MENA	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Issues	O
surrounding	O
beoutQ	B-Application
also	O
impacted	O
a	O
bid	O
by	O
the	O
Saudi	O
Public	O
Investment	O
Fund	O
to	O
acquire	O
Premier	O
League	O
club	O
Newcastle	O
United	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
beoutQ	B-Application
abruptly	O
ceased	O
operations	O
on	O
satellite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
usable	O
via	O
third-party	O
IPTV	O
services	O
available	O
on	O
a	O
built-in	O
app	B-Application
store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
held	O
rights	O
to	O
prominent	O
events	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
the	O
FIFA	O
World	O
Cup	O
,	O
UEFA	O
Champions	O
League	O
,	O
Asian	O
Football	O
Confederation	O
(	O
including	O
the	O
AFC	O
Asian	O
Cup	O
)	O
,	O
La	O
Liga	O
,	O
and	O
Premier	O
League	O
in	O
association	O
football	O
,	O
Formula	B-Application
One	I-Application
racing	O
,	O
international	O
tennis	B-Device
events	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
planned	O
to	O
fund	O
a	O
new	O
competitor	O
out	O
of	O
Cairo	B-Language
,	O
Egypt	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
PBS	O
Sport	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
proposed	O
service	O
never	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
subscription	O
service	O
known	O
as	O
beoutQ	B-Application
emerged	O
,	O
which	O
repackaged	B-Application
the	I-Application
beIN	I-Application
Sports	I-Application
channels	I-Application
as	I-Application
their	I-Application
own	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
's	O
launch	O
was	O
backed	O
by	O
a	O
social	O
media	O
campaign	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
;	O
Saud	O
al-Qahtani	O
,	O
former	O
adviser	O
to	O
King	O
Abdullah	O
,	O
participated	O
in	O
the	O
campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2018	O
during	O
legal	O
proceedings	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
beIN	O
linked	O
the	O
beoutQ	B-Application
website	O
to	O
Saudi	O
businessman	O
Raed	O
Khusheim	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
chief	O
executive	O
officer	O
of	O
UAE-based	O
television	O
provider	O
Selevision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
"	O
Live	O
Sports	O
"	O
programming	O
was	O
distributed	O
via	O
10	O
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
programming	O
came	O
verbatim	O
from	O
the	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
networks	O
,	O
except	O
with	O
beoutQ	B-Application
digital	O
on-screen	O
graphics	O
(	O
DOG	O
)	O
overlaid	O
over	O
those	O
of	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
channels	O
took	O
on-air	O
measures	O
to	O
frustrate	O
these	O
tactics	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
occasionally	O
changing	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
its	O
DOG	O
so	O
that	O
beoutQ	B-Application
would	O
have	O
to	O
reposition	O
its	O
own	O
to	O
cover	O
it	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
began	O
to	O
increasingly	O
discuss	O
and	O
criticise	O
the	O
service	O
on-air	O
,	O
beoutQ	B-Application
began	O
to	O
dub	O
its	O
own	O
commentators	O
over	O
the	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
feeds	O
,	O
and	O
use	O
feeds	O
from	O
other	O
broadcasters	O
such	O
as	O
Eleven	O
Sports	O
,	O
and	O
Telemundo	O
Deportes	O
(	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Spanish-language	O
rightsholder	O
of	O
FIFA	O
tournaments	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
commercial	O
breaks	O
,	O
the	O
channels	O
broadcast	O
propaganda	O
attacking	O
Qatar	O
and	O
beIN	O
;	O
one	O
such	O
example	O
included	O
a	O
cartoon	O
short	O
where	O
a	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
executive	O
(	O
depicted	O
as	O
a	O
cigar-smoking	O
businessman	O
surrounded	O
by	O
piles	O
of	O
money	O
)	O
realises	O
that	O
beoutQ	B-Application
was	O
stealing	O
away	O
his	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
he	O
gets	O
home	O
,	O
he	O
discovers	O
that	O
his	O
children	O
were	O
also	O
watching	O
beoutQ	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
short	O
ended	O
with	O
a	O
caption	O
reading	O
"	O
No	O
to	O
monopoly	B-Application
,	O
no	O
to	O
politicising	O
sport	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
beIN	O
traced	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
feeds	O
to	O
Arabsat	O
,	O
an	O
Arab	O
League-owned	O
satellite	O
operator	O
;	O
its	O
frequencies	O
were	O
frequently	O
mentioned	O
in	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
marketing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arabsat	O
regularly	O
denied	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
involved	O
in	O
beoutQ	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
observed	O
that	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
satellite	O
frequencies	O
changed	O
frequently	O
during	O
the	O
test	O
,	O
likely	O
to	O
evade	O
detection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
MarkMonitor	O
performed	O
an	O
investigation	O
into	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
at	O
the	O
request	O
of	O
FIFA	O
,	O
UEFA	O
,	O
and	O
major	O
European	O
football	O
leagues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
beoutQ	B-Application
service	O
was	O
transmitted	O
via	O
Arabsat	O
's	O
Badr-4	O
,	O
Badr-5	O
,	O
and	O
Badr-6	O
satellites	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
received	O
using	O
Android-based	O
"	B-Application
hybrid	I-Application
"	I-Application
set-top	I-Application
boxes	I-Application
manufactured	O
by	O
the	O
Chinese	O
company	O
DreamMax	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
firmware	O
contained	O
several	O
levels	O
of	O
geolocation	O
checks	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
boxes	O
from	O
being	O
activated	O
outside	O
of	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
,	O
including	O
over-the-air	O
programming	O
during	O
its	O
first-time	O
setup	O
that	O
required	O
access	O
to	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
satellite	O
signal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
the	O
beoutQ	B-Application
satellite	O
channels	O
,	O
the	O
boxes	O
include	O
a	O
"	O
beoutQ	B-Application
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
"	O
with	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
third-party	O
media	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
the	O
25	O
apps	O
listed	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
review	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
them	O
were	O
for	O
other	O
pirate	B-Application
video	B-Application
on	I-Application
demand	I-Application
and	O
subscription	O
IPTV	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
the	O
three	O
IPTV	O
services	O
highlighted	O
by	O
the	O
MarkMonitor	O
investigation	O
,	O
all	O
three	O
of	O
them	O
carried	O
the	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
channels	O
(	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
them	O
listing	O
them	O
in	O
their	O
program	B-Device
guide	I-Device
under	O
the	O
"	O
beoutQ	B-Application
"	O
name	O
,	O
but	O
using	O
the	O
unmodified	O
feeds	O
from	O
beIN	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
was	O
listed	O
on	O
its	O
website	O
as	O
being	O
based	O
in	O
the	O
Saudi	O
capital	O
of	O
Riyadh	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
beoutQ	B-Application
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
also	O
contained	O
apps	O
for	O
legitimate	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
HBO	O
Go	O
,	O
Red	O
Bull	O
TV	O
,	O
SoundCloud	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
TED	O
,	O
TuneIn	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
,	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-August	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
beoutQ	B-Application
had	O
shut	O
down	O
its	O
satellite	O
transmissions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
beoutQ	B-Application
boxes	O
remained	O
usable	O
with	O
other	O
IPTV	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
beoutQ	B-Application
service	O
was	O
widely	O
condemned	O
by	O
beIN	O
Media	O
Group	O
,	O
broadcasters	O
,	O
and	O
sports	O
rightholders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
feared	O
that	O
the	O
normalisation	O
of	O
piracy	O
caused	O
by	O
beoutQ	B-Application
could	O
hamper	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
's	O
efforts	O
to	O
redevelop	O
its	O
cinema	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tim	O
Fernholz	O
of	O
Quartz	O
described	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
's	O
alleged	O
involvement	O
in	O
beoutQ	B-Application
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
country	O
's	O
"	O
no-holds-barred	O
attitude	O
"	O
in	O
its	O
dispute	O
with	O
Qatar	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
undermine	O
Al	O
Jazeera	O
's	O
"	O
soft	O
power	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
owner	O
of	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
,	O
beIN	O
Media	O
Group	O
,	O
condemned	O
the	O
beoutQ	B-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
beIN	O
Sports	O
managing	O
director	O
Tom	O
Keaveny	O
described	O
beoutQ	B-Application
as	O
being	O
an	O
"	O
industrial-scale	O
"	O
operation	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
just	O
"	O
a	O
small	O
outfit	O
operating	O
out	O
of	O
someone	O
’s	O
bedroom.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
month	O
,	O
beIN	O
declined	O
to	O
renew	O
its	O
MENA	O
rights	O
to	O
Formula	B-Application
One	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
the	O
market	O
conditions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
21	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
Al	O
Jazeera	O
program	O
What	O
Lies	O
Beneath	O
broadcast	O
an	O
investigative	O
report	O
alleging	O
that	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
operations	O
were	O
based	O
in	O
Riyadh	O
and	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
providers	O
Selevision	O
and	O
Shammas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
bid	O
led	O
by	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
's	O
Public	O
Investment	O
Fund	O
(	O
PIF	O
)	O
to	O
acquire	O
Premier	O
League	O
club	O
Newcastle	O
United	O
faced	O
scrutiny	O
due	O
to	O
beoutQ	B-Application
,	O
among	O
other	O
factors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
beIN	O
Sports	O
's	O
lead	O
English	O
football	O
presenter	O
,	O
Richard	O
Keys	O
,	O
regularly	O
expressed	O
opposition	O
to	O
the	O
Newcastle	O
deal	O
on-air	O
,	O
mentioning	O
beIN	O
's	O
conflicts	O
with	O
beoutQ	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
government	O
was	O
coordinating	O
"	O
inspection	O
campaigns	O
"	O
and	O
confiscating	O
beoutQ	B-Application
equipment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Media	O
accused	O
the	O
All-England	O
Club	O
—	O
organisers	O
of	O
Wimbledon	O
—	O
of	O
"	O
parroting	O
"	O
beIN	O
's	O
accusations	O
surrounding	O
beoutQ	B-Application
and	O
the	O
involvement	O
of	O
Arabsat	O
,	O
which	O
it	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
baseless	O
"	O
and	O
lacking	O
credible	O
evidence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
BBC	O
and	O
Sky	O
plc	O
sent	O
letters	O
to	O
European	O
Commissioner	O
for	O
Trade	O
Cecilia	O
Malmström	O
,	O
urging	O
that	O
action	O
be	O
taken	O
against	O
beoutQ	B-Application
's	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stan	O
McCoy	O
,	O
the	O
EMEA	O
president	O
of	O
the	O
Motion	O
Picture	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
(	O
MPAA	O
)	O
,	O
told	O
The	O
Hollywood	O
Reporter	O
that	O
the	O
MENA	O
Anti-Piracy	O
Coalition	O
—	O
which	O
includes	O
various	O
broadcasters	O
and	O
service	O
providers	O
serving	O
the	O
region	O
,	O
including	O
Arabsat	O
—	O
was	O
"	O
very	O
much	O
activated	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
issue	O
of	O
beoutQ	B-Application
,	O
On	O
6	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
Coalition	O
sent	O
a	O
letter	O
to	O
Arabsat	O
demanding	O
that	O
it	O
take	O
a	O
position	O
and/or	O
action	O
towards	O
beoutQ	B-Application
within	O
two	O
weeks	O
,	O
or	O
else	O
the	O
Coalition	O
would	O
issue	O
a	O
public	O
statement	O
and	O
begin	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
removing	O
Arabsat	O
from	O
the	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
an	O
anti-piracy	O
conference	O
held	O
in	O
Abu	O
Dhabi	O
in	O
April	O
2019	O
by	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
Coalition	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
little	O
to	O
no	O
discussion	O
of	O
beoutQ	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
moderator	O
allegedly	O
warned	O
a	O
speaker	O
that	O
they	O
could	O
potentially	O
face	O
legal	O
issues	O
if	O
they	O
went	O
"	O
too	O
far	O
"	O
on	O
beoutQ	B-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
organisers	O
of	O
the	O
conference	O
denied	O
that	O
such	O
a	O
restriction	O
existed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
month	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Trade	O
Representative	O
(	O
USTR	O
)	O
designated	O
beoutQ	B-Application
as	O
a	O
"	O
notorious	B-Application
market	I-Application
"	O
in	O
its	O
annual	O
Special	O
301	O
Report	O
,	O
citing	O
that	O
its	O
equipment	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
widely	O
available	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
generally	O
unregulated	O
"	O
in	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
country	O
had	O
not	O
taken	O
steps	O
to	O
address	O
Arabsat	O
's	O
alleged	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
was	O
placed	O
on	O
the	O
USTR	O
's	O
Priority	O
Watch	O
List	O
for	O
the	O
second	O
year	O
in	O
a	O
row	O
,	O
citing	O
via	O
submissions	O
by	O
the	O
Premier	O
League	O
that	O
illegal	O
IPTV	O
services	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
Saudi	O
market	O
on	O
"	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
million	O
"	O
beoutQ	B-Application
boxes	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
no	O
deal	O
was	O
reached	O
,	O
and	O
beoutQ	B-Application
ultimately	O
broadcast	O
the	O
entire	O
tournament	O
from	O
various	O
sources	O
,	O
including	O
beIN	O
and	O
the	O
Israeli	O
Public	O
Broadcasting	O
Corporation	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
offering	O
Arabic-language	O
broadcasts	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Asian	O
Football	O
Confederation	O
(	O
AFC	O
)	O
condemned	O
beoutQ	B-Application
for	O
airing	O
the	O
2019	O
AFC	O
Asian	O
Cup	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
has	O
already	O
instructed	O
counsel	O
to	O
take	O
legal	O
action	O
in	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
and	O
is	O
working	O
alongside	O
other	O
sports	O
rights	O
owners	O
that	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
affected	O
to	O
protect	O
its	O
interest	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
AFC	O
pulled	O
its	O
rights	O
in	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
from	O
beIN	O
Sports	O
(	O
moving	O
them	O
to	O
an	O
in-house	O
streaming	O
platform	O
)	O
,	O
in	O
support	O
of	O
the	O
Saudi	O
claim	O
that	O
the	O
network	O
held	O
a	O
monopoly	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2019	O
,	O
FIFA	O
,	O
the	O
AFC	O
,	O
the	O
Bundesliga	O
,	O
La	O
Liga	O
,	O
Serie	O
A	O
,	O
and	O
UEFA	O
issued	O
a	O
joint	O
statement	O
condemning	O
beoutQ	B-Application
,	O
urging	O
Saudi	O
authorities	O
to	O
take	O
"	O
swift	O
and	O
decisive	O
action	O
"	O
against	O
the	O
broadcaster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
day	O
,	O
beIN	O
Media	O
Group	O
also	O
initiated	O
an	O
investment	O
arbitration	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
seeking	O
US$1	O
billion	O
in	O
damages	O
,	O
citing	O
beoutQ	B-Application
and	O
other	O
measures	O
that	O
had	O
hindered	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
do	O
business	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
16	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
WTO	O
issued	O
a	O
125-page	O
report	O
finding	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
evidence	O
beoutQ	B-Application
was	O
operated	O
out	O
of	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
report	O
found	O
that	O
beoutQ	B-Application
had	O
received	O
assistance	O
from	O
a	O
Saudi-based	O
content	O
distributor	O
,	O
had	O
used	O
the	O
facilities	O
of	O
Arabsat	O
for	O
transmission	O
,	O
and	O
benefitted	O
from	O
promotion	O
by	O
government	O
officials	O
.	O
</s>
