JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Audiovisual Media Commission announced it has become aware of inaccurate and irresponsible accusations made by the Wimbledon Championships, in its July 5 press release regarding piracy when broadcasting beoutQ. Wimbledon’s press release alleges that beoutQ is based in Saudi Arabia and that the Kingdom is somehow complicit in the sports network’s broadcasts. This comes days after Al-Jazeera Media Network and its subsidiary beIN Sports, FIFA and Wimbledon’s exclusive licensee in the MENA region, accused beoutQ of illegally broadcasting World Cup games. The Saudi General Audiovisual Media Commission unequivocally rejects these allegations in the strongest possible terms. Wimbledon’s press release alleges that beoutQ is an “illegal Saudi Arabian-based piracy operation,” but cites no sources or evidence for that allegation. The Saudi commission affirmed it was not aware of such evidence, yet it acknowledged that beoutQ’s receiver boxes are available in many places, including Qatar and perhaps Eastern Europe. beoutQ touts itself as based in either Cuba or Colombia. “Suggesting that Saudi Arabia is in any way complicit in beoutQ’s operation both offends the Saudi people and is a malicious lie. Through its Ministry of Commerce and Investment, the Kingdom has relentlessly combatted beoutQ’s activities within the country,” said the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media. For instance, the Ministry of Commerce has seized thousands of set-top boxes that would otherwise be used to violate intellectual property (IP) in the Kingdom. “The government of Saudi Arabia is and will remain devoted to protecting IP rights within the country,” noted the commission. While Al-Jazeera has repeatedly accused Arabsat (a quasi-governmental entity of the Arab League in Riyadh, established by 22 of its member states) of facilitating beoutQ’s transmissions, however, to date, Al-Jazeera has not provided any credible evidence that it has done so. To the contrary, Al-Jazeera has repeatedly pointed to the “unparalleled sophistication” with which beoutQ has easily overcome Al-Jazeera’s and beIN Sports’ state-of-the-art anti-piracy technology. Therefore, Wimbledon’s suggestion that Arabsat is facilitating or otherwise turning a blind eye to beoutQ’s operations is simply more Al-Jazeera propaganda. Wimbledon and the various tennis associations quoted in the press release should be aware that in early June 2017, the Saudi government banned all broadcasts by Al-Jazeera and its affiliates within the Kingdom because the Doha-based channel is a media platform for terrorists to propagate their violent messages and to promote instability in the region. Given Al-Jazeera’s known role in supporting terrorism and its inability to provide any media content in Saudi Arabian territory, the Commission urges Wimbledon and the tennis associations to end their relationships with beIN Sports and other Al-Jazeera entities.