Qatar's BeIN Sports channel, formerly known as al-Jazeera Sports, was blocked from broadcasting in Saudi Arabia on Monday, amid an ongoing blockade on the Gulf state.
Qatar's BeIN Sports satellite receivers were blocked from broadcasting in Saudi Arabia amid mounting regional tensions that escalated following a blockade on Doha by neighbouring Gulf states.
The decision to ban the popular channel - including its official website - was confirmed by the kingdom's general authority for audiovisual media on Monday, noting its alleged lack of licencing.
The Doha-based channel was formerly known as al-Jazeera Sport and owns exclusive rights to broadcast major football leagues to the Middle East, including the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the English Premier League among others.
The situation has led to confusion and anger among some Saudi football fans who were unaware the broadcaster was formerly Al-Jazeera Sport, and so will miss out on this summer's sporting action.
The Qatari-broadcaster has been thrust into the limelight with the Gulf blockade of Doha, with sports fans signed up to BeIN Sports ready for the region's teams fixtures in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers left disapointed.
Meanwhile, a video that emerged on social media appeared to show the press officer for the Emirati national football team refusing to answer a question posed by a reporter from the Qatari-owned BeIN Sports channel.
