Crown Jewel sporting events risk only being made available on subscription services, bosses at BBC and ITV have warned.
In a letter published by the Daily Telegraph, BBC director-general Tim Davie and ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall warn that “urgent changes are required” if public sector broadcasters are to maintain their role as “the bedrock of great British content”.
The letter, which has also been signed by senior executives at Channel 5, STV and S4C, comes ahead of a new media bill in the autumn.
In the spring culture secretary Nadine Dorries set out a series of changes which she said would help protect the established channels from streaming services, though also promising the privatisation of Channel 4, which hasn’t signed the letter.
With UK government effectively on hold since the resignation of prime minister Boris Johnson in July, the future of both Ms Dorries position in the cabinet, and the Bill itself remains unclear.
One of the proposals was the underpinning of the so-called Crown Jewels, those sporting events deemed of great significance to British public life, securing them for broadcast on free-to-air TV channels.
These include the Olympics, the men’s and women’s World Cup, the Wimbledon singles finals, the FA Cup Final and the Grand National.
The White Paper highlighted the possibility that if the BBC was to show live coverage of an Olympic 100 metre final in the middle if the night, and the streaming and catch-up rights were held by a rival broadcaster, the number of people able to watch the race would be significantly reduced.
Following Discovery’s deal with the International Olympic Committee what the BBC gets to screen under its sub-licensing deal has already been significantly reduced.
In their letter, the executive draws comparisons with the success of the England women’s football team, making the case that their example should be seen by all through free-to-air television.
To inspire the next generation of Lionesses we need major sporting events to be available to all – free of charge, not hidden behind a paywall… We need to enable viewers to watch their favourites, such as the Fifa World Cup and Olympic and Paralympic Games, both live and on demand.”
“We urge the Government to deliver these key proposals to secure a successful future in a thriving British media and digital ecology.”
