Olivier Schrameck, the president of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, has said that there is a need for the French media regulator to intervene in sports-rights negotiations to ensure major events are available on free-to-air television.
According to French newspaper Les Echos, Schrameck said that it was a “major concern” that live coverage of more than half of the games during football’s 2014 Fifa World Cup is only available on pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports. “We need sports and major events to be available on free-to-air television,” he said.
Schrameck said that he had met with the French secretary of state for sport to discuss new legislation that would allow the CSA to play a greater role in rights talks.
Schrameck added that he would like the current list of events reserved for free-to-air television to be extended, particularly in women’s sports.