MPs to vote on Premier League free-to-air plan
MPs could be set to vote on a proposal to make at least 10 Premier League games available on free-to-air television each season.
The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Football Governance Bill, which has continued to make its way through parliament. The legislation will establish a regulator that is independent from government and the sport’s authorities to oversee the men’s game in England’s top five divisions.
The amendment would require the regulator to ensure that the top-flight matches, along with the League Cup Final, and the Championship, League One and League Two play-off finals, would be free-to-air.
Live Premier League matches have been broadcast behind a paywall since its inception 33 years ago, with only a handful of games shown on the BBC during Covid in 2020. The Lib Dems have reportedly said they are confident that a vote will be granted on the proposal.
Last year, the party had committed to widen public access to major sporting events by ensuring more are available to view without subscription TV packages. It has favoured a similar approach to one taken in Spain where La Liga must offer one free game a week to fans after a change in the law in 2022.
The legislation has now reached the report stage in the House of Commons.
In June, Premier League television viewing figures on main live rights-holder Sky Sports were revealed to have been down 10% last season, while TNT Sports had a 17% reduction in its year-on-year figures.
Stephanie Peacock, Sports Minister, said, “The listed events regime have protected key moments such as the FA Cup Final while ensuring that the Premier League, EFL & FA are able to raise billions of pounds annually, which is invested back into the pyramid.
“We all want to see more matches being televised free-to-air, but that must be balanced against that investment and not risk it… It would not be appropriate for the regulator to intervene in commercial decisions between the relevant broadcasters and rights holders.”
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