In the space of 24 hours, beIN SPORTS has been removed from Comcast Xfinity and Verizon Fios in carriage disputes between the TV providers and US-based sports network that broadcasts LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Turkish Super Lig.
beIN SPORTS was given a deadline of midnight on Wednesday to reach a deal with Verizon Fios, but as of Thursday morning, beIN SPORTS has been removed from Fios.
According to Verizon Fios, “We have given beIN SPORTS a reasonable offer that is in line with the marketplace to continue providing their channels to you. Unfortunately, they have rejected our offer, and demanded a significant increase to the fees we pay for their channels.”
“beIN SPORTS USA learned late last night that despite its offer to extend its contract with Verizon on the same rates and terms, Verizon chose to abruptly cease negotiations and drop the beIN SPORTS channels from its platform,” said Antonio Briceño, beIN SPORTS’ Deputy Managing Director for the U.S. and Canada. “Verizon falsely claims that beIN sought “significant” rate increases. In fact, beIN offered to continue under the same modest fee increase structure it established when it launched in 2012. Verizon, conversely, sought to re-package beIN to higher more expensive tiers where customers have to pay more for the content they love. beIN will not allow Verizon to use its content in this manner and will continue its fight to achieve carriage in lower priced tiers on behalf of consumers and content partners.”
With the new seasons around the corner, the timing couldn’t be worse for beIN SPORTS. Ligue 1 kicks off on Friday, August 10 while the 2018/19 season of LaLiga begins on Friday, August 17.
If you’re a Verizon Fios customer, another option to consider is to cancel your service and sign up for a 7-day free trial to fuboTV, which streams all of the beIN SPORTS channels, NBCSN, FOX Sports and a ton of others.
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