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Al Jazeera Sport has been rebranded as beIN SPORTS. The new network, now live, grants subscribers access to unrivalled selections of first-class sports programming.
The company promises to ‘surpass existing boundaries’ of spectatorship, essentially changing the game for sports fans across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
The beIN SPORTS brand aims to offer a new age of spectator interaction that successfully unites international networks across the Mena, European, Asian and North American territories under one umbrella for the first time. It will grant viewers in the Mena region unmatched access to dedicated programming in English, Arabic, French and Spanish.
An astonishing 19 high-definition channels will allow fans unlimited viewing of premier sporting competitions including top European football leagues from England, Spain, Italy, and France, alongside the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, Africa Cup of Nations and the AFC Champions League.
As excitement builds ahead of the Fifa 2014 World Cup Finals, beIN SPORTS guarantees front row seats to all the live action in Brazil as well as live coverage from other popular worldwide sporting events.
“In a world where sports has the unique power to unite people, beIN SPORTS seeks to propel fans into a new age of sports programming by providing unmatched global sports coverage to its customers,” said Nasser Ghanim Al Khelaifi, chairman of beIN SPORTS. “The new network will transform TVs into portals of unlimited immersive sporting action that speak to each fan in their own language, allowing events to live on long after the final whistle blows.”
The network’s sports schedule includes, among others, football, tennis, basketball, handball, athletics, motorsport, cycling and rugby presented by well-known broadcasters and analysts.
Meanwhile, the introduction of a range of multi-screen technology ensures beIN SPORTS subscribers can access exclusive broadcasting via television, computer, tablet or smartphone. In addition, an increased role for social media comment will enable the network to offer greater interactivity, it says.
“This is a new age of sports broadcasting, and viewers will not miss any of the action with beIN SPORTS multi-screen digital platform. Our HD channels, available on any device, offer fans an unparalleled viewing experience that caters to them not only at home but while they are on the move,” said beIN SPORTS presenter Mohammed S Al Kuwari. “
The launch of beIN SPORTS is changing the game with a more interactive experience. Enhancing spectator engagement by offering more opportunities for our subscribers to share their opinions through social media makes this an exciting moment for me as a broadcaster live on air.”
Looking ahead to the key sports events of 2014, beIN SPORTS presenter Richard Keys added: “This is going to be an incredible sporting year. The English Premier League is more open than it has been for years and the Winter Olympics offers a chance to see if Russia will live up to London’s standards of staging an incredible Games.”
Whether fans are cheering on Algeria, Spain or Brazil, there is no greater spectacle on the sporting horizon than the World Cup Finals, and beIN SPORTS subscribers will see every match live and exclusively, the company added.
