beIN SPORTS Dropped from AT&T/DIRECTV

The latest in a recent string of carriage spats, beIN SPORTS has been dropped from the channel lineup of AT&T’s DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW in the U.S.

Earlier this month, beIN SPORTS was dropped from the Verizon Fios lineup and Comcast Xfinity systems in separate carriage disputes. beIN SPORTS and Verizon Fios have since settled on terms for a distribution renewal.

The channel has positioned itself as a home for live soccer coverage, which includes live matches from LaLiga, Ligue 1, Copa del Rey, Coupe de France and Turkish Süper Lig, as well as news and analysis of all the top leagues from around the world. In addition to soccer, beIN SPORTS features motorsports, tennis (WTA), rugby, boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) and volleyball, among others. With the recent addition of Conference USA coverage, beIN SPORTS will also broadcast college football, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball.

“Despite beIN SPORTS USA’s offer to extend its contract with AT&T DIRECTV/DIRECTV NOW, they chose to abruptly cease negotiations and drop the beIN SPORTS channels from their lineup,” said Antonio Briceño, beIN SPORTS’ deputy managing director for the U.S. and Canada. “beIN SPORTS remains committed 24-7 to re-establishing access to our service in an effort to move our channels to lower priced packages that ultimately save viewers money.”

Briceño added: “AT&T/DIRECTV/DIRECTV NOW, conversely, seek to keep beIN in higher more expensive tiers and have shown no intention of providing fans continued access to our world-class sports content, headlined by the 2018/2019 LaLiga season that millions of fans look forward to every week, and is widely considered to be the top soccer league in the world. beIN SPORTS remains committed to serving its loyal fans and will continue its industry fight to achieve carriage in lower-priced tiers. beIN SPORTS continues to create and deliver some of the most compelling and exciting sports content in the industry, and we strive for that content to reach as large an audience as possible, without making our fans pay more for it.”