The UK government has stepped in to prevent World Cup matches and highlights from being placed behind a paywall for online viewers, proposing legislation to close a loophole in the Broadcasting Act 1996.
Background of the Broadcasting Act
The Broadcasting Act 1996 designated certain 'crown jewels' sporting events—such as the Olympics, the FA Cup Final, and Wimbledon—as requiring availability on terrestrial television. However, at that time only 4% of UK households had internet access, so the act does not currently cover online coverage.
This loophole had put the BBC and ITV at risk of losing online rights to the World Cup and other major events. The new government proposal aims to protect live streaming and online highlights of these events from being sold exclusively to paywalled streaming services.
Proposed Changes and Exceptions
The proposed legislation would prevent streaming and catch-up rights for listed events from being put behind a paywall. However, on-demand rights could still be sold to services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, allowing them to charge subscribers for watching at any time.
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."
Scope of the New Rules
The digital rights extension, part of a media green paper published this week, would apply to events including the UEFA European Championships, Rugby World Cup Final, and the Grand National. Notably, it would not include the Champions League Final, which was controversially placed behind a paywall earlier this year.
In 2022, a report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee recommended that the previous government review extending protections to digital and on-demand content. Ministers were also urged to add the Six Nations rugby championship to the 'crown jewels' list, but the government currently has no plans to expand the list.
