The British government is introducing legislation to ensure major sporting spectacles like the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Wimbledon finals remain accessible to the public without paywalls. Current regulations, which date back to 1996 when home internet access was rare, failed to explicitly address the sale of digital on-demand rights to subscription-based platforms like Netflix or Discovery+.
As part of a new media policy document, the government plans to update the current framework to include on-demand streaming rights. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy emphasized that this move is essential to preserve the ability of families to watch sports at their convenience via public service broadcasters. She noted that many households currently rely on catch-up services to view matches that occur during late-night hours.
While there has been public pressure to include the Six Nations rugby championship on the protected list, officials have stated they have no plans to expand the roster of events at this time. They maintain that the existing policy strikes a fair balance between protecting free-to-air access for iconic moments and allowing sports organizations to generate revenue from broadcasting agreements. The proposed changes follow recommendations made in a 2022 report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.