When Al Jazeera Sports took over the local rights to English Premier League football from Abu Dhabi Sports (an affiliate company of The National) at the start of the 2013-14 season, there were several teething problems. Initially, UAE telecoms providers du and Etisalat and their customers were kept in the dark over which games would be played on which channels. As recently as last month, piracy of the signal intended for the Middle East was blamed when the network did not deliver on its promise to screen all EPL games live.
But instead of making good on its promises, the channel has opted for an unusual move. Al Jazeera Sports rebranded itself beIN Sports, and it once again promised that it would show all EPL games "live and exclusive" in HD. But subscribers, who are paying up to Dh52.60 a month for the full sports package, have complained that this is still not the case. The National reported yesterday that, despite having 19 HD channels, the network is broadcasting only one of the EPL's 3pm matches live on Saturdays. Some games are not available with English commentary.
As any good football manager knows, having the right starting line-up isn’t enough to win the game. You have to play both halves and score enough points to keep the fans happy.
