Ever since its creation, the Premier League has been behind a paywall. Now, with a general election this year, the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) have said they want to see the Premier League on free-to-air TV. But will the Premier League ever be free-to-air?
It might be hard to imagine, but before the Premier League was founded in 1992, top-division games were aired on free-to-air channels.
Since 1992, the majority of games have been aired on Sky Sports. Other platforms, such as BT Sports (now TNT Sports) and Amazon Prime, have had their share of Premier League games. Subscription fees to these have increased over the years, and many fans feel priced out of watching Premier League games on TV.
With an important general election this year, the Lib Dems are calling for an end to the paywall to watching the Premier League and for some games to return to free-to-air TV.
What Is The Current Premier League TV Deal?
The Premier League’s current TV deal will end at the end of the 2024/25 season. They announced a new £6.7bn deal that will cover four seasons, starting from the 2025/26 season.
Out of the five packages available, Sky Sports won the rights to four of them, guaranteeing them a minimum of 215 games. TNT Sports won one package, which includes 52 games, made up of all the Saturday 12:30 pm kick-offs and two rounds of midweek matches.
Another change in this deal is the increase in games shown live. There’ll be at least 267 games shown live per season, compared to 200 games in the current package.
What Does Free-To-Air Mean?
Free-to-air means anyone who has a television and TV licence can watch games, without paying for services like Sky Sports or TNT Sports. Usually, these games will be shown on BBC or ITV, with some shown on YouTube.
Free-to-air games often draw in large viewing numbers, and some games are legally protected from being sold to subscription channels. This includes the FA Cup final, and England games in the finals of the European Championships and World Cup.
What Are The Lib Dems Suggesting About Free-To-Air Football?
The Lib Dems have announced a policy called a “free-to-air revolution”. They’re calling for a law that would mean a range of sporting events, including at least 10 Premier League matches, be screened for free.
Speaking about the policy, Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said:
“We can’t have our country’s greatest sporting moments hidden away from millions of people behind expensive paywalls.
“We need to inspire the next generation, and that begins with free-to-air sports. Nobody should be priced out of football.”
Despite the promising suggestions from the Lib Dems, they’re unlikely to get the chance to implement the policy. The Lib Dems are the biggest minority party behind the two main parties, the Conservatives and Labour. Their best chance of getting into power would be through a coalition if one of these two failed to get a clear majority. This makes the likelihood of their policy becoming a reality, unlikely, unless they form a coalition and are able to convinve the other party it’s the right thing to do.
What About The Football Governance Bill?
Since the failed attempt to create a European Super League in 2021, there has been talk about the government introducing an independent football regulator. Since then, there have been numerous announcements in parliament, as well as King Charles announcing plans for a Football Governance Bill in the King’s Speech.
This independent football regulator comes in the form of the Football Governance Bill. Speaking in parliament recently, Rishi Sunak said the regulator is “a historic moment for football fans”. He went on further to say:
“It will make sure their voices are front and centre.
“Football has long been one of our greatest sources of national pride.
“But for too long, some clubs have been abused by unscrupulous owners who get away with financial mismanagement, which at worst can lead to complete collapse – as we saw in the upsetting cases of Bury and Macclesfield Town.”
🗣️ Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the new independent football regular. “This Bill is a historic moment for football fans – it will make sure their voices are front and centre, prevent a breakaway league, protect the financial sustainability of clubs, and protect the heritage of… pic.twitter.com/E1lU5IheZr
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) March 18, 2024
The Bill, which still needs to go through the parliamentary process before it becomes a law, is set to put fans at the forefront of football and its clubs.
But its position on whether the Premier League will ever be free-to-air is still unknown. Given the fan’s first focus, we might see more Premier League games being shown on free-to-air TV after the regulator is introduced.
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