(Bloomberg) -- The Middle East broadcaster of German top-flight soccer walked away from contract renewal talks a few hours before the new season kicks off.
Qatar-based BeIN Sports told the Bundesliga Friday it was pulling out of the negotiations on a new five-year deal, blaming piracy as the primary factor.
“Our business plan is clear. We will only bid for rights at levels that make economic sense and have a value proposition,” Richard Verow, chief sports officer at BeIN, said in a statement. “Piracy has crippled the market so we have made the decision not to renew with Bundesliga there.”
The company had paid 200 million euros ($237 million) in the previous five-year deal and has been showing Bundesliga games live in 24 countries in the region.
A spokesman for the German league declined to comment.
BeIN blames Qatar’s regional rival Saudi Arabia for supporting a rival broadcasting outfit that it says is taking BeIN soccer feeds illegally and selling them on. The Saudi government denies the allegation.
During a failed bid for English club Newcastle United by a consortium headed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, BeIN wrote to all the Premier League’s 20 clubs warning them not to throw their support behind the Saudis, who they blame for allowing piracy of the league’s content.
Earlier this year, BeIN blacked out the opening matches in the restarted Italian Serie A calendar after demanding a discount and failing to agree terms.
BeIN and the Bundesliga still have contracts with each other in France and the Asia Pacific region.