MPs might actually get a chance to vote on whether at least 10 Premier League matches a season should be up for grabs on free TV. Imagine that no more scrambling around for sneaky streams or cursing your wallet every weekend. The Lib Dems are behind this move, tossing an amendment into the Football Governance Bill, which is still doing laps in parliament.
This new bill, by the way, is supposed to set up a totally independent regulator to keep an eye on men’s football across England’s top five divisions. Not the usual suspects actual independence, or so they claim. The Lib Dem amendment wants this regulator to make sure big games think Premier League, League Cup Final, and all the play-off finals end up on free-to-air channels. Wild, right?
Max Wilkinson, the Lib Dem guy for Culture, Media and Sport, is basically yelling from the rooftops for MPs to back this. He’s all about smashing the “expensive barrier” that’s kept the Premier League locked away on paid channels. “That must end today – with a free-to-air revolution that gives the Premier League back to the country.” A bit dramatic, but hey, points for passion.
Meanwhile, the government’s just... not bothered? The Department of Culture, Media and Sport says, “The government has no plans to review the listed events regime.” Which is a super government way of saying “meh.” Premier League? Not even a peep from them.
The bill’s at the report stage now in the Commons, so it’s crawling along. Fun fact: they tried for a similar amendment last month, but the Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock, wasn’t having it. She basically said, look, the current system protects the big moments (like the FA Cup Final), and the money from paid TV deals keeps the whole pyramid afloat. More games on free TV would be nice, sure, but not if it means less cash for the sport. Tough balance, honestly.
The Lib Dems, of course, have their own math: apparently, if you want to watch every live Premier League game next season, you’d have to cough up £660. Ouch. And here’s the kicker last month it turned out Sky Sports’ viewing figures for the Premier League dropped 10% last season, TNT Sports was down 17%. People clearly aren’t loving the current setup.
So, are we actually heading toward a “free-to-air revolution” for British football, or is this just another political football being booted around? Guess we’ll see.