World Cup blackout looming for du customers

Broadcaster beIN Sports says its deal with the UAE telecoms provider du will not be renewed, a potential blow to World Cup fans.

But fans in the UAE will be able to watch the World Cup from June 14 from viewing packages provided by Etisalat, costing from Dh550.

Etisalat said all its beIN services were working as normal.

The du decision, released yesterday, came just days before the Fifa World Cup kicks off in Russia. A contract between beIN Media Group and du expired on May 31.

Yesterday, beIN said negotiations to renew the deal had failed, resulting in the termination of satellite services. BeIN said customers could still access live streaming from the internet service beIN Connect.

The statement reads: “The beIN group has further acted in good faith by granting the network an extension of 24 hours to conclude the renewal process and sustain the service, to no avail.”

The announcement came 24 hours after beIN broadcast services on du became unavailable.

Du customers had faced problems in recent days owing to undisclosed restrictions on matches being shown by the Doha-based host broadcaster.

Eitisalat subscribers can sign up on channel 777 for a oneoff standalone fee of Dh555, excluding VAT, to view all 64 Fifa World Cup games from Russia this month. Charges are about Dh100 more than they were four years ago when the tournament was staged in Brazil.

The tournament kicks off on June 14 in Moscow, and satellite providers in the UAE have left it late to offer fans options of how to watch their favourite stars in action.