The UK government has stepped in to prevent World Cup matches and highlights from being locked behind a paywall for online viewers, closing a loophole in existing legislation. Under the Broadcasting Act 1996, so-called 'crown jewels' sporting events—including the Olympics, the FA Cup final, and Wimbledon—were required to be broadcast on terrestrial television. However, at that time, only four percent of UK households had internet access, compared to today where millions rely on platforms like YouTube to catch highlights. The law did not extend to online coverage, leaving the BBC and ITV at risk of losing digital rights to the World Cup and other top-tier events.
Proposed Legislation to Protect Digital Rights
The UK government has now introduced legislation to safeguard both live streaming and online highlights of major sporting events. The proposed plans would prevent streaming and catch-up rights for these events from being placed behind a paywall for UK viewers. However, the draft ruling would not prohibit on-demand rights from being sold to streaming platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, which could still charge subscribers to watch sports content at their convenience.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated: "Due to the late-night kick-offs, so many families are currently following the World Cup by catching up on-demand in the mornings. With these changes we are protecting that for the future, ensuring streaming rights for the biggest sports events must be offered to our public service broadcasters." She added: "This will not only help those broadcasters compete, it will make sure that people never miss out on the history-making sporting moments that bring us together as a nation, for free and however and whenever they choose to watch."
Expanded List of Protected Events
Additional events set to have digital rights incorporated into the scope of the regime—as part of a media Green Paper being published this week—include the UEFA European Championships, the Rugby World Cup final, and the Grand National. However, the Champions League final, which was controversially placed behind a paywall for the first time earlier this year, would not be included.
A 2022 report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee recommended that the previous government "should review extending the protections currently offered under the listed events regime to digital and on-demand content." Ministers were further urged to add the Six Nations rugby championship to the list of so-called 'crown jewels' events, though the government currently has no plans to broaden the list despite those calls.
