London, Oct 23 (ANI): Satellite broadcaster BSkyB is likely to lose its exclusive live coverage of Premier League football, as Arabic-language news network, Al Jazeera, is contemplating a bid for the broadcasting rights.
"There is definitely a sense that Al Jazeera is looking at acquiring Premier League rights. Of course, they have the money to outbid Sky and billions is not a problem," the Daily Mail quoted a source, as saying.
"But they also have the motivation because of all the scepticism that has greeted its successful bid for the World Cup. There is a sense that they need to evolve Qatar's image as a place that gets football and that's involved in football," the source added.
The move by the news network, which is owned by the Qatari royal family, would be a serious blow to media mogul Rupert Murdoch's Sky TV service that is heavily dependent on the revenues it earns from the millions of subscribers who tune into its exclusive football coverage.
Qatar's interest in football has mushroomed since last December when it won the right to stage the 2022 finals.
Some purists were angered by the decision to award the event to a nation with so little interest in football. There were also claims that the country's hot temperatures could even pose a health and safety risk to players.
But since then Qatar has become the shirt sponsors of Spain's best club, Barcelona, and a Qatari investment firm has bought one of France's most famous clubs, Paris St Germain.
Al Jazeera has already established itself as a major player in the market for televised sports.
It recently bought some of the domestic rights to screen matches from France's top division, Ligue 1.
The broadcaster also owns regional TV rights for the next three World Cups and to the Champions League. (ANI)
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