JEDDAH, 12 June 2006 — While fans are enjoying the soccer world’s greatest international event, the World Cup, others are dreaming and conjuring ingenious war to make big bucks from the global frenzy.
Even though the World Cup started on Friday, black market television smart cards and satellite receiver boxes are widely available across the Kingdom, as viewers look for ways to avoid paying expensive subscription fees, said Abdul Rahman Al-Harbi, aged 32.
Al-Harbi, a satellite television technician, told Arab News that illegal satellite receiver boxes had become rather popular as a result of the prices charged by satellite television company ART. “Due to the high-profile of this year’s World Cup and because of such high prices set by ART, people look for cheap ways of watching soccer. Since there is a big public demand, traders see the World Cup as an opportunity to make money,” he said.
Al-Harbi noted that most dealers buy smart cards for the World Cup and lend these cards to friends and family at cheap prices for short periods.
Making money during the World Cup is a great opportunity for Nasir Mufti, a bank employee who is an official subscriber to ART. “I have noticed that many of my friends and neighbors still have not subscribed because of the high fees charged by ART. I rent my card out to people who want to watch a game for a day or so,” he said.
He continued, “I told my friends they didn’t need to pay subscription fees. They all know that I am renting my card for SR70 per match and so I lend it to them for some money. What I’m doing is absolutely legal.”
While many people plan to watch pirated broadcasts or head to coffee shops to avoid satellite TV charges that could potentially add up to SR1,700 for the entire tournament, others are turning their homes into mini-theaters. Mohammed Al-Yahya has turned his home into a soccer theater for his friends to come and watch soccer. Al-Yahya charges a little to cover his costs and also make some profit.
He said “Instead of going to cafes or other places to watch this year’s World Cup and because I have official access to the World Cup channels, I’ve created a very exciting little cinema type thing for my friends to come and watch matches. They pay me some money and I also provide refreshments and snacks.” Al-Yahya is delighted to make some money while simultaneously watching soccer during his one-month long vacation from work.
