By Anil John/Doha
Qatar’s Al Jazeera Channel has bought six sports channels from the Jeddah-based Arab Radio and Television (ART) network in a deal worth more than a billion dollars, Gulf Times has learned.
The deal, which is soon expected to be announced formally, will see Al Jazeera become the leading sports broadcaster from the Middle East with exclusive regional rights to several top class sporting events.
Sources told Gulf Times that negotiations between Al Jazeera and ART went on for about a year before the agreement was finalised. Talk of the deal is rife among journalists, hundreds of whom have arrived in Qatar to cover the glamour football friendly between Brazil and England tomorrow.
Al Jazeera’s sports wing already holds the exclusive rights in the region for major football leagues such as the Italian Serie A, Spain’s La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
The network’s eight sports channels also televise the top leagues in Brazil and Argentina besides the Summer Olympics and other major events including French Open and Masters Series tennis, motorcycling’s MotoGP series and the NBA from the US.
Al Jazeera secured the rights for the Champions League (2009 to 2012) this year beating off tough competition from ART, Orbit and Showtime.
The new deal is expected to make Al Jazeera the exclusive regional rights-holder of next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
Al Jazeera Sports Channel is celebrating its sixth anniversary, and tomorrow’s friendly match in Doha between Brazil and England is part of the celebrations.
Qatar, which already hosts top class sporting events, is bidding for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.