FIFA World Cup 2022: Streaming service blocked in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia appears to have arbitrarily blocked access to the FIFA World Cup's official streaming service, international news agency AFP reported on Sunday. The platform, Tod TV, is run by the Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group. During a dispute between the two nations, beIN was briefly banned in Saudi Arabia but was allowed back in October 2021.

"Due to matters beyond our control, we are experiencing an outage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is currently impacting TOD.tv, the official streaming partner of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available," beIN said.

Tod TV is the official World Cup streaming service in 24 Middle Eastern and North African countries.

Several Saudi subscribers told AFP on Saturday that they have not been able to access the service since the World Cup began on November 20. "Sorry, the requested page is violating the regulations of the Ministry of Media," the error message says.

"I want my money," one subscriber told AFP, adding that attempts to obtain a refund for the service, which costs about 300 Saudi riyals (roughly $80) per month, had been futile.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia orchestrated a regional boycott of Qatar beginning in June 2017, the same month he ascended to the throne. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt severed ties with Doha over allegations that it supported extremists and was too close to Iran. 

During the boycott, beIN Media Group was barred from operating in Saudi Arabia.