Free F1 live streaming site showing British Grand Prix 2018 sees Formula One enter beoutQ piracy row
A live stream service hosting free F1 races has prompted Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, to wade into an international dispute about the illegal broadcasting of major sporting events.
The piracy row comes ahead of the British Grand Prix, set to start at 2.10pm BST on Sunday, 8 July, at Silverstone.
The race will be broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 and Sky Sports F1, and in the US on ESPN 2, with current world champion Lewis Hamilton looking to reclaim his championship lead from pole position.
But F1 authority, the FIA, is more focused on broadcasts from beoutQ, a pirate service that has allegedly been stealing signal from a legitimate broadcaster and streaming it illegally.
“It has come to our attention that certain Formula 1 content from the 2018 FIA Formula One Championship has been illegally transmitted by the channel known as beoutQ operating primarily within the MENA region,” the sport’s governing body said in a statement provided to The Independent.
beIN MEDIA GROUP – whose content has allegedly been pirated by beoutQ – has described the pirate channel as a major operation with multi-million dollar ties to the Saudi Arabian government.
“The pirate channel BeoutQ is not a small outfit operating out of someone’s bedroom. This is piracy on a massive commercial scale with multimillion dollar funding underpinning,” said Tom Keaveny, managing director of beIN MEDIA GROUP.