Statement: Listed Events

Statement published 4 July 2019

The listed events rules are intended to ensure that certain events of national interest are available to view live, and for free, by the widest possible audience.

The list of events is set by the Secretary of State and currently includes major sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup Final and Wimbledon Tennis.

Ofcom’s role is to maintain a list of television channels that appear to it to meet certain qualifying criteria – that they are free-to-view and received by 95% of the UK population. Those television channels which meet these two criteria are known as ‘qualifying services’.

In light of developments in how people now watch TV, in particular the increase in online viewing and the use of devices other than television sets, we considered it necessary to update the list of qualifying services.

We are today publishing our methodology to determine the revised list of qualifying services, and having applied it, our updated list of channels that are free-to-view and received by 95% of the UK population.