Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with (a) broadcasters and (b) social media companies on making more sporting events freely available to watch live.

I routinely hold discussions with a range of stakeholders in the sector where we cover matters relevant to sports and television, including free-to-air access to sporting events.

The Government wants major sporting events to be made available on free-to-air television so that they can be enjoyed by a wide audience. However, this must also be balanced with the ability of sporting organisations to generate revenues to invest in their sports, at all levels.