Sport on TV Watch sport free

Under the Television Broadcasting Regulations 2000, some sporting events are protected, which means full coverage or highlights must be shown on free-to-air TV (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five).

You can watch them free of charge on your normal TV, or pay a one-off fee to get Freesat, Freesat from Sky or Freeview. These offer the five basic channels, but you can also take advantage of interactive options where they are available.

Group A events, such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics and Wimbledon, have to be shown in full. And you can watch highlights or partial coverage of Group B events, such as the Ryder Cup.

Group A – must be shown on terrestrial TV

Johnny Wilkinson

The Rubgy World Cup final is show on free-to-air TV by law

  • Olympic Games
  • FIFA World Cup Finals tournament
  • FA Cup Final
  • Scottish FA Cup Final (in Scotland)
  • The Grand National
  • The Derby
  • Wimbledon tennis finals
  • European Football Championship Finals tournament
  • Rugby League Challenge Cup Final
  • Rugby World Cup Final

Group B – highlights must be shown on terrestrial TV

England cricket team

Highlights of English cricket matches remain protected

  • Cricket Test matches played in England
  • Non-finals play in the Wimbledon tournament
  • All other matches in the Rugby World Cup Finals tournament
  • Six Nations Rugby tournament matches involving home countries
  • The Commonwealth Games
  • The World Championships in Athletics
  • Cricket World Cup – the final, semi-finals and matches involving home nations’ teams
  • The Ryder Cup
  • The Open Golf Championship

You can see the full list of protected events on the Ofcom website.

If TV coverage isn’t protected, the owners of a sports event or competition – such as the English Premier League – can sell the broadcasting rights.

Sometimes the rights are sold to the BBC or ITV, enabling fans to watch the event free of charge.

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