Women’s World Cup & Paralympics Set For UK Tv’s ‘crown Jewels’ List

The UK government is considering adding the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Paralympic Games to the list of ‘crown jewel’ sporting events that are reserved for free-to-air television.

The Times reported that the Paralympics would be added to the list straight away, with plans set to be announced for a consultation process that would lead to the addition of the Women’s World Cup.

The list currently includes the men’s FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championships, FA Cup final, Rugby World Cup final, the Olympic Games, the Grand National and the Wimbledon finals.

Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “Sport has a unique power to unite the nation. But to maximise its ability to inspire, our sporting crown jewels must reflect the diversity of sporting talent we have across the country.

“Adding the Paralympic Games to the list rightly puts it on the same footing as the Olympics. I also want to see greater equality in the coverage of women and men’s sport on TV. Later this year, I will consult on adding the equivalent women’s events to the men’s events already on the list.”

The news comes after the BBC’s record-breaking coverage of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in France. Some 28.1 million people tuned in to the tournament, with England’s semi-final defeat against the USA attracting the highest live TV audience of 2019 with 11.7 million viewers.

There are currently no plans to add cricket events to the list, despite the interest shown in last weekend’s World Cup final between England and New Zealand. The coverage saw peak viewership across Sky and Channel 4 of 8.3 million, with coverage on Sky channels watched by 3.5 million viewers alone.

Channel 4 also holds rights to the Paralympics in the UK.