New diplomatic row? Qatar-based FIFA streaming service blocked in Saudi Arabia

FIFA World Cup: Tod TV is the official World Cup streaming service in 24 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

The official streaming platform of the FIFA World Cup appears to have been blocked without explanation in Saudi Arabia, AFP reported. The platform, Tod TV, is owned by the Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, which was banned in Saudi Arabia for several years during a row between the two countries but was restored in October 2021.

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"Due to matters beyond our control, we are experiencing an outage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is currently impacting TOD.tv, the official streaming partner of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available," beIN said.

Tod TV is the official World Cup streaming service in 24 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Several subscribers have been unable to access the service since the World Cup began on November 20.

"Sorry, the requested page is violating the regulations of Ministry of Media," the error message says.

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman orchestrated a regional boycott of Qatar beginning in June 2017, the same month he became first in line to the throne. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Doha over allegations it supported extremists and was too close to Iran.