The French government has updated its list of sporting events that need to be made available free-to-air (FTA) domestically.
That list now includes more matches featuring France at the men’s Rugby World Cup, as well as the national team’s summer tours, and action from French teams across handball, volleyball, and basketball.
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Notably, the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League top-tier soccer tournament has also been added, even if a French team is not present.
The French government had launched an initial consultation and review of the list two years ago.
The list now extends across the Olympics and Paralympics, soccer, rugby union, tennis, cycling, basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics, skiing, and motor racing (through the French Grand Prix of Formula 1).
In its commentary on the updating of the list, France’s audiovisual regulator ARCOM said: “A broader reflection on the methods of allocating sports rights could be initiated given the changes in the audiovisual landscape.”
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By GlobalDataThe list focuses, unsurprisingly, on French teams at major competitions, and on the latter stages (semi-finals and final) of those tournaments.
Various finals and events have stipulations that they only need to be shown FTA if a French club or team is involved.
The ongoing men’s soccer European Championship national team tournament is being covered in France by TF1 and M6 FTA, as well as by pay-TV broadcaster BeIN Sports.
The additional list of events which must be accessible via a French FTA TV service is as follows:
- The Summer and Winter Paralympic Games
- FIFA-associated matches involving the French women's soccer team
- The semi-finals and the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup
- The semi-finals and the final of the UEFA Women's European Championship
- The final of the UEFA Women's Champions League
- The final of the UEFA Europa Conference League when a French club is involved
- The final of the French Women’s Football Cup
- Matches of the French women’s and men’s rugby union teams that are registered in the World Rugby calendar
- Matches of the French team in the women's Six Nations rugby tournament
- The semi-finals and final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup
- The final of the French women’s rugby union championship
- The semi-finals of the men's and women's singles of the Roland-Garros tennis tournament if a French player is involved
- The men's and women's singles finals of Grand Slam tennis tournaments other than Roland-Garros if a French player is involved
- The women's cycling Tour de France
- The women’s cycling Paris-Roubaix competition
- The semi-finals of the women's and men's European basketball championships when a French team participates
- The semi-finals of the women's and men's basketball world championships when a French team participates
- The semi-finals of the European women's and men's handball championships when a French team participates
- The semi-finals of the women's and men's handball world championships when a French team participates
- The finals and semi-finals of the women's and men's European volleyball championships when a French team participates
- The finals and semi-finals of the women's and men's volleyball world championships when a French team participates
- The Alpine Ski World Championships if the competition is taking place in France
