beoutQ was a pirate pay television broadcaster that operated in Saudi Arabia between August 2017 and August 2019. The service consisted of ten satellite television channels that carried rebranded feeds of programming from Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports. beoutQ began operations after Saudi Arabia blocked beIN Media Group from offering its services in the country; the action stemmed from a then-ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab countries over its alleged state sponsorship of terrorist groups. The service operated out of facilities in Saudi Arabia, and utilised the Arabsat satellites for transmission. The channels also carried propaganda accusing beIN Sports of being a monopoly.
BeoutQ
The Qatar diplomatic crisis was a high-profile incident involving the deterioration of ties between Qatar and the Arab League between 2017 and 2021. It began when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt simultaneously severed their bilateral relations with Qatar and subsequently banned Qatar-registered aircraft and Qatari ships from utilizing their sovereign territory by air, land, and sea; this involved the Saudis' closure of Qatar's only land crossing, initiating a de facto blockade of the country. Tensions between the two sides came to a close in January 2021, following a resolution between the Saudis and the Qataris.
US President Donald Trump, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the 2017 Riyadh Summit. The meeting is cited as one of the catalysts for the crisis.
Yousef Al-Otaiba
United States President Donald Trump with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, May 2017.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson being escorted to his meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani on July 11, 2017.