Qatar-Saudi relations back in spotlight after Saudis blocked from watching World Cup matches

Relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are once again in the spotlight after the Saudi Minry of Media blocked a Qatar-owned streaming platform from broadcasting FIFA World Cup matches during the opening week of the tournament, reports the Athletic.
Qatar firm BeIN Sports which is run the Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, owns the broadcast rights for the World Cup in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The matches in the region are divided up between 22 free-to-air games, while the remaining 42 broadcast on a streaming platform called TOD TV, in all 24 countries in the MENA region.
Just a little over an hour ahead of the tournament opener, beIN executives became aware that their streaming platform had been blocked in Saudi Arabia, as first reported the New York Times on Friday.
This was despite the fact Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, sat just two seats away from Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Qatari ruling Emir.
Saudis were still able to watch their horic 2-1 victory over Argentina on Tuesday because it was one of the matches made available free-to-air, while Saturday’s fixture against Poland will also be shown for free rather than on the subscription platform.
Nevertheless, Saudis are currently unable to watch a large number of World Cup games, which seems surprising in a country that called a national holiday after beating Argentina in their first match.