Football leagues will be excluded from a copyright reform that is being designed to make media content more easily accessible across national borders in the European Union.
European Union member states agreed on Friday to exclude all sports events from the reform, as well as programmes co-produced by broadcasters and other parties, and content licensed to a broadcaster by a third party.
Only content produced and financed entirely by the broadcaster will be able to be shown online across EU member states after the rights are acquired in the home country, the Reuters news agency said.
The European Commission has previously said that it does not want to force any media companies to make content more available online, but rather it is seeking to make it easier for broadcasters to acquire the relevant rights.
The decision by EU member states confirmed an earlier vote by the European Parliament last week to abolish geoblocking for news and current affairs in a move that will allow other content to remain blocked in other European Union countries.
The EP voted by 365 to 256 to allow users to access subscription news and current affairs outside their home nation, but the decision not to include other content – such as sport – was counter to the European Commission’s previous recommendations.