Alkass Sports Channels (Arabic: قنوات الكأس الرياضية) is a group of eleven sports channels that are broadcast 24/7 from Qatar. Its official name is Al Dawri wal Kass (Arabic: الدوري والكأس, lit. 'the league and the cup'), since it was initially launched to broadcast domestic football in Qatar. The eleven channels of Alkass are numbered from one to eleven.
.jpg){kind=logo} Alkass logo | |
| Country |  Qatar |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Doha, Qatar |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Arabic, English |
| Picture format | 1080p MPEG-4 HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Government of Qatar |
| History | |
| Launched | 6 June 2006 |
| Founder | Ali Al Hitmi Khalid Jassem |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Alkass Live | Alkass One Alkass Two Alkass Four Alkass Five Alkass Online |
Starting from 2013, five of its ten channels (Al-Kass 6/7/8/9/10) are encrypted with Qatari pay-tv network beIN Channels Network, which are specified to broadcasting matches of AFC Champions League and AFC Cup. Since January 2023, beIN Channels Network introduced 2 new encrypted channels (9/10).
History
editAlkass Sports Channels was launched in June 2006 as the second sports channel from Qatar after Al Jazeera Sports.[1] In its first year, the channel won many viewers with its unmatched coverage of domestic sports, especially football. It also broadcast the 2006 Asian Games held in Doha. It now also covers matches involving the Arabian Gulf countries, notably FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, the AFC Asian Cup and the Arabian Gulf Cup. It has emerged as one of the most popular sport channels in Arabia.
Al-Kass has now 11 sports channel, 5 of them are FTA and the other 6 channels are encrypted with the Qatari pay-tv beIN Channels Network.
Programming
editFootball
editIn September 2012, Alkass held the rights to broadcast the Qatar Stars League in English.[2]
Football broadcasters
edit| Show name | Anchors | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Al Majlis | Khalid Jassem | Flagship talk show involving former national players and coaches; previews every match involving Qatar and Qatari clubs. |
| Fadh Fadh | Jamal Hosni | Fans interaction show where the channel's reporters mingle among the crowd during matches. |
| QSL Review | Rhodri Williams | Analysts and reviews of Qatar Stars League matches |
| World Football | Ronald de Boer | Analysts of world football matches. |
| Jarayed | Huda Mohammed | Fans interaction show where the channel's reporters mingle among the crowd during matches. |
Events
editBesides broadcasting, the channel has held certain sporting events in its history. A notable event is the Alkass International Cup. It is an under-17 tournament in which the best teams in the world send their youth teams to Qatar to participate in the tournament. Both, Qatar's Aspire International, and Aspire Qatar participated. The main purpose of the tournament is to help develop youth systems worldwide. There are cash prizes for the winners.[3]
Awards
editThe channel won the Best Persian Gulf Sports Channel award in 2007. Khalid Jassim, the host of the Majlis (The Council) program won the Best Host award.
The channel also won two awards at the PromaxBDA Awards held at New York in June 2008.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Al Dawri & Al Kass Sport Channel, BID award winner, organizes an International under-17 Soccer Tournament". BID Group. 17 January 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "Al Kass to cover the Qatar Stars League in English". marhaba.com. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ Al Kass International Cup from Jan 8 Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine Doha Stadium Plus. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ AMEInfo Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine