Broadcasting of major sports events in the EU

Further information

The European Commission conducted on 10 April 2018 a set of unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies active in the distribution of media rights and related rights pertaining to various sports events and/or their broadcasting.

The current proposal for a revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive Directive (AVMSD) did not envisage any changes in relation to the broadcasting of major sports events in the EU.The topic of audiovisual sports rights had gained increasing relevance, including in the light of the football World Cup in Russia in the summer of 2018. As most people would not be able to attend the sports games they wished to see, they would use the media to hear the news or to get full direct coverage through live broadcasts.

However, media coverage of sports events was regulated by complex copyright rules and the exclusive right to broadcast top sports events live came at a cost. In 2014, the global sports rights market was worth nearly €19 billion. In the EU, broadcasters spent around €5.8 billion on the acquisition of rights in 2009, which represented nearly 17% of their total €34.5 billion programming spend. But how exclusive could audiovisual rights be?