Du makes a World Cup deal with beIN

BeIN Sports and du have reached an agreement over coverage of the Fifa World Cup of football, less than 24 hours after the broadcaster announced the telecoms company’s customers would be blocked.

Du’s parent company, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications, yesterday said that a package of 64 World Cup matches from Russia would be available for Dh551.

On Saturday, du customers faced problems viewing channels because of undisclosed restrictions by the Qatari host broadcaster.

Du said it would not charge subscribers for the period in which the channels were not available and promised compensation.

The day after, beIN announced that an agreement had been reached after long negotiations to continue its services over du’s network. The contract between the two parties expired on May 31. Four beIN Sports channels are now to be available for du customers during the tournament.

The month of matches begins on June 14 when hosts Russia take on Saudi Arabia in Moscow.

“We are delighted to offer this incredible event to our valued customers by screening all 64 football matches across our dedicated beIN Sports channels,” said Fahad Al Hassawi, deputy chief executive of telecoms services at du’s parent company.

“We continue to offer complete transparency of service for our customers, enabling them to enjoy the biggest showpiece in the football calendar.”

We are delighted to offer this incredible event to our customers by screening all 64 football matches FAHAD AL HASSAWI Emirates Integrated Telecoms