The UK will be required, by law, to broadcast the Women’s World Cup, FA Women’s FA Cup and Paralympics on open TV.
This initiative comes as a result of the excellent campaign of the England women’s team, which ended in fourth place in the World Cup, in addition to the high numbers of registered fans. In light of this scenario, the British government announced the measure aimed at expanding access to the category and serving as an example for future generations of women in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“Sport has a unique power to unite a country. But to maximize their potential to inspire, our jewels in the Sporting Crown must reflect the diversity of sporting talent across the country,” said Jeremy Wright, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The decision marks a change in the list of mandatory sports that will be shown on open television after more than two decades. It consists of the Men’s World Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon, Scottish Cup and FA Cup. In the region, there are two mandatory categories for transmission: A, which requires live broadcasting; and B, just for the best moments.
“Adding the Paralympics to the list puts the event on the same level. I would also like to see more equal coverage of men and women on television. We will continue to discuss whether broadcast rights should be added within the events already on the list.”
The Women’s World Cup has affected more than 28 million people in England. The semi-final against the United States reached over 11 million spectators, the highest number in UK sporting history.
