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- UK list of protected events hasn’t been updated in six years
- Labour MPs increasingly support expansion
- FCC wants views on expansion of sports coverage on streaming
Governments and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are considering whether they need to take further action to protect live televised sports coverage on free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters.
According to the Guardian, a growing number of Labour MPs support the idea of strengthening and expanding the UK’s ‘crown jewels’ list of protected sporting events.
In practice, any competition on the A-list, such as the Olympic Games or men’s Fifa World Cup, must be broadcast live on terrestrial TV, while there has to be free-to-air (FTA) highlights for anything on the B-list.
The list was established in 1996 in response to fears that events of ‘national interest’ would be snapped up by pay-TV companies. Its composition is the source of constant debate, but the last major additions were the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games in early 2020.
The newspaper says a group of Labour MPs are working with FTA broadcasters to call for a change in government policy that would allow more events to be added to the list, and the issue is set to be raised at the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Although events have been removed or added over the course of the past three decades, the mechanisms that enforce the list have remained static since 1998.
It is expected that a key argument will be the fragmentation of major rights, with sports fans now required to take out several subscriptions to watch their favourite events.
It is the issue of fragmentation that is driving similar concerns in the US, where a large population and a more commercially-minded broadcast ecosystem has allowed at least some coverage of most major events to remain on FTA channels. Traditionally, this coverage was complemented by cable and satellite providers who bundled pay-TV services into a single package offering more content and niche services.
However this model has been upended by the rise of streaming services, many of which have acquired premium rights to attract and retain subscribers. This trend has seen some sports move further behind a paywall and has exacerbated fragmentation.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is concerned about the implications for consumers and is inviting the American public to share their views on sports broadcasting and ideas on how the regulator could ensure continued access.
It is also investigating whether some of these media rights deals conflict with broadcasters’ public service obligations and could potentially raise questions about whether major US leagues should continue to receive exemptions from antitrust legislation.
SportsPro says…
Pay-TV has transformed sport beyond recognition, generating previously unfathomable riches for the industry and providing fans with a greater variety and volume of coverage. However, it has made some sports less accessible, with key events taken behind a paywall.
This impact has been amplified by streaming services, which have also resulted in the additional consequence of fragmentation.
The challenge for regulators is to find a balance between sporting and commercial interests – ensuring reasonable access to major events without upsetting properties whose bargaining power is diminished by being a protected event. Similarly, pay-TV services will resent any interventions that impose any additional restrictions.
What is clear is that the legislation in the UK needs updating to reflect the vast changes that have happened in the broadcasting space since it was first devised.
As platforms multiply, audiences fragment and media rights deals plateau, it’s time to understand what’s really going on in sports media. Join us at SportsPro London this April to learn more.