The Government only intervenes in the sports broadcasting market to seek to ensure that all viewers, including the lower paid and the elderly, have free-to-air access to major events, known as listed events.
These are events which have a national resonance and contain an element that serves to unite the nation, and are not only of significance to people who normally follow the sport in question.
Rights holders are free to sell their rights to whomever they please, subject to the requirements of competition law, and broadcasters are free to show events without restrictions, subject to listed events legislation.
Outside the listed events regime the Government does not have the power to force broadcasters into buying programmes. Subscription and pay-per-view broadcasters are often able to spend more on broadcast sports rights than free-to-air terrestrial broadcasters and this is perhaps reflected in the amount of sport their niche channels have to offer.
