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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with key stakeholders to meet (a) the requirements of commercial broadcasters and (b) secure public access to live sport.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring access to live sport so that it can be enjoyed by a wide audience. However, this must also be balanced with the ability of sports national governing bodies to generate revenue to invest in their sports at all levels, given broadcasting rights provide essential income for these organisations.

All UK broadcasters are operationally and editorially independent of the government. Decisions relating to coverage of particular sporting events are ultimately a commercial decision for the relevant broadcaster and/or the rights holder of the specific sporting event.