Labour champions adding women’s sports to list of key sporting events to be broadcast free-to-air
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Labour will add women’s sporting events, such as the Women’s
Football World Cup, to the list of key sporting events to be
broadcast free-to-air. In a speech to the British Screen
Advisory Council today, Tom Watson MP, Shadow Culture Secretary,
will announce that Labour will review the list and look to
diversify the events included. The list has not been updated for
over 20 years. This is a step towards parity and
putting women and men’s...Request free
trial
Labour will add women’s sporting events, such as the Women’s Football World Cup, to the list of key sporting events to be broadcast free-to-air.
In a speech to the British Screen Advisory Council today, Tom Watson MP, Shadow Culture Secretary, will announce that Labour will review the list and look to diversify the events included. The list has not been updated for over 20 years.
This is a step towards parity and putting women and men’s sports on equal footing, and will help ensure that the public can enjoy these events free of charge.
Labour will also add the Paralympics to the list of key events to be listed. The 2016 Rio Paralympic Games coverage drew 28 million viewers across the UK.
In his speech Tom Watson will say that the Women’s World Cup Final and the Paralympics are crown jewel events, but at the moment they do not have equal status with other sporting events that are included on the list.
He will also point to the growing popularity of key women’s sporting events and the danger that, without action, the growing popularity could be stunted if the event rights were bought by paid TV.
He will point to the golf Open Championship which had a peak audience of 4.7 million on the BBC in 2014 when Rory McIlroy won at the Royal Liverpool, but the audience dropped by 75% the following year when tournament coverage rights were bought by Sky.
Last Sunday, the England vs Scotland Women’s World Cup match broke viewing records, with 6.1 million people watching on BBC television. This figure is comparable to major pay TV events such as the 2019 Europa League final which was watched by 6.4 million in the UK.
There has been growing interest in women’s sport by pay TV broadcasters, for example Sky’s 4 year rights deal with England Netball in 2016. Tom will say that is very ‘positive’ but that we need to be forward looking and ensure women’s crown jewel event remain free to air.
Coverage of listed events must be offered on “fair and reasonable” to broadcasters that reach 95% of the population free of charge.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport has the power to amend the list.
Tom Watson MP, Labour’s Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, said:
“The current list is out of date and it’s Government’s job to make sure that the list of key events showcases all the best of British talent, right across our society.
“The huge viewing figures for the England Scotland game show how popular women’s sport is and why it’s so important to keep these key events free to air.
“Events like the Women’s World Cup and the Paralympics are crown jewel sporting events. It is time we give them the status, recognition, and protection they deserve.”
Ends
Notes to editors
Listed Events Regime: The Broadcasting Act 1996 (as amended) gives the Secretary of State the power to draw up a list of sporting events of national interest. The listing of events ensures that the broadcast rights to these events, if they are offered at all, must be offered to the main free-to-air terrestrial broadcasters on “fair and reasonable terms”. Qualifying broadcasters are not obliged to bid for these rights, so it is possible that on some occasions listed events may not be shown by a qualifying broadcaster. The Secretary of State can add and delete events from the list at any time, but only after consultation with the BBC, the Welsh Authority, the communications regulator Ofcom, and the holder of the rights for the event in question. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has said that a “listed event” is “one which is generally felt to have special national resonance” and which contains “an element which serves to unite the nation, a shared point on the national calendar, not solely of interest to those who follow the sport in question.” In a Commons debate of 11 July 2018, the Government said that it did not plan to reopen the list of events. The current list has not been updated since 1998, and is as follows: Group A: full live coverage protected • The Olympic Games • The FIFA World Cup Finals Tournament • The European Football Championship Finals Tournament • The FA Cup Final • The Scottish FA Cup Final (in Scotland) • The Grand National • The Derby • The Wimbledon Tennis Finals • The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final • The Rugby World Cup Final
Group B: secondary coverage protected • Cricket Test matches played in England • Non-Finals play in the Wimbledon Tournament • All other matches in the Rugby World Cup Finals • Six Nations Rugby matches involving home countries • The Commonwealth Games • The World Athletics Championship • The Cricket World Cup - the final, semi-finals and matches involving home nations' teams • The Ryder Cup • The Open Golf Championship
Recent viewing figures of key sporting events:
• England vs Scotland Women’s World Cup game 6.1 million viewers • Grand National 2019 – 9.6 million viewers • Wimbledon 2018 women’s final – 4.6 million viewers • Wimbledon 2018 men’s final – 4.5 million viewers • The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final 2018 – 1.3 million viewers
More information on the listed events regime here: http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00802/SN00802.pdf |