beIN Sports Reaches New Deal With Dish and Sling TV

beIN Sports said Friday it reached a long-term distribution agreement with Dish and Sling TV.

beIN Sports remains in the middle of a contract dispute with AT&T's DirecTV and Uverse, which has blacked beIN out since August. It is also unavailable on Comcast.

“This renewal, which allows beIN Sports’ availability across the U.S. via both satellite and over-the-top streaming, could not come at a more exciting time given the new soccer season and the kick-off of the Conference USA football season,” said Antonio Briceño, beIN Sport deputy managing director for the U.S. and Canada. “These popular sporting events have proven to be fan favorites, and we’re thrilled that both our existing Dish and Sling TV viewers will be able to catch all of the action this fall.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Our goal is to deliver great content at a great value, connecting our viewers to the news, sports and entertainment they want in both Spanish and English,” said Alfredo Rodriguez Diaz-Marta, VP of Sling and DishLatino. “We are pleased to continue our relationship with beIN Sports, delivering fans the season’s must-see soccer matches and coverage.”

Comcast dropped beIN sports on Aug. 1. At the time, beIN Sports said it was hopeful Comcast would listen to subscribers and reinstate the channel. 

When it was dropped by DirecTV on Aug. 29, beIN Sports said the carrier wanted to move the channel to a higher priced sports tier.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.