KlowdTV streaming service drops beIN SPORTS coverage

In what can only be described as the worst possible timing, KlowdTV has informed its customers that it will no longer carry beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español effective immediately.

KlowdTV CEO Bill O’Hara, in an e-mail to subscribers last night, said, “We regret to inform you that beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Espanol will no longer be available in our Sports and Tus Deportes packages as of 4/1/2016. Unfortunately, we were not able to come to terms with beIN SPORTS to continue carrying their channels on KlowdTV.

“As a small business and independent operator, we remain committed to working with all of our network providers. We are continuing to explore ways to continue our relationship, but at this time there does not appear to be a viable way to continue providing the beIN SPORTS channels.”

O’Hara added, “We expect to be adding additional channels to all of our existing packages, and making several more packages over the next few months.”

SEE MORE: 7 ways to watch el Clasico between Barcelona-Real Madrid for free

The timing is bad news for KlowdTV given that subscribers now have to scramble to find a different streaming provider to watch Saturday’s el Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Competitors fuboTV, Sling International, Sling TV and Sling Latino all offer free trials and access to beIN SPORTS.

With the loss of beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español, the only soccer-specific networks that KlowdTV currently carries are GolTV and GolTV en Español.

If you’re not sure which legal streaming service to choose, check out our soccer streaming comparison guide that features side-by-side comparisons between the leading streaming companies.