UK’s ‘crown jewels’ list set to be protected

The UK’s so-called ‘crown jewels’ list that reserves certain sporting events for free-to-air coverage is set to be protected by changes to the legislation, according to the government.

The digital economy bill will be used to give ministers the power to amend the qualifying criteria for the list if it appears to be at risk, according to the Press Association news agency.

Such a move will allow the list to be protected even though more people are watching sports events online, the government said.

The government has no intention of reviewing the list – which includes events such as the Wimbledon tennis championships and football’s FA Cup final – at the moment, the report added.

The UK’s Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Karen Bradley, said that the government wants to “future-proof these regulations so that in an ever-changing digital landscape the public will still have access to the crown jewels of sport on free-to-air channels.”

Last week UK public-service broadcaster the BBC called on the government to update the legislation to avoid rights being lost “by the back door”.

Under the legislation, which currently only includes live television and not online platforms, top sporting events must be broadcast on channels that are available to 95 per cent of the population.