The BBC and Warner Bros. Discovery have written to Ofcom to set out their plans for coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, due to take place in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The Olympic Games are designated as a Group A listed event, which means broadcasters’ plans for live coverage may, in some circumstances, require Ofcom’s consent.[1]
This page explains why the coverage plans do not require consent from Ofcom.
The listed events regime is changing as a result of the Media Act 2024. We have published a call for evidence alongside this note to support our work to implement the Media Act’s changes to the listed events rules. The call for evidence seeks input to help us define key terms in the amended regime, including considering when live coverage of the Olympic Games should be considered ‘adequate’ for the purposes of the regime.
What are listed events?
The listed events regime aims to ensure free-to-air broadcasters have an opportunity to acquire the live broadcast rights of specific events with significant national interest for UK audiences. The current framework divides broadcasters’ channels into two categories: ‘qualifying’ services (including the main PSB channels BBC One and BBC Two, ITV/STV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) which reach 95% of the population at no additional cost to the viewer, and ‘non-qualifying’ services, which do not. The framework currently only applies to linear broadcast services.
Any broadcaster who wishes to show exclusive live coverage of all or any part of a listed event must obtain consent from Ofcom. However, where the live rights to a listed event have been acquired by both ‘qualifying’ and ‘non-qualifying’ broadcasters, then those broadcasters do not generally require consent.
Warner Bros. Discovery and the BBC plan to provide live and on-demand Olympics coverage on their main channels
In 2015, Discovery (as it then was) secured exclusive multimedia rights to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris across 50 European countries, including the UK. As part of this, Discovery committed to make at least 200 hours of coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games available free-to-air in each of these territories. Subsequently, the BBC entered into an agreement with Discovery to become its partner for free-to-air coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The result of these arrangements for this summer’s Olympic Games are that:
- Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will broadcast live coverage on its two main sport channels – Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2. It will also show live and on-demand coverage of the whole of the Olympics through its ‘discovery+’ streaming platform.
- The BBC will broadcast live coverage on BBC One or BBC Two and via one further stream, at any one time. There are no restrictions on which sporting events it may show live, and there are no limitations on how many hours of live coverage – or of highlights – it may show on its two streams. The BBC will also broadcast live radio coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
The existing rules do not require the BBC and WBD to submit their plans for the 2024 Summer Olympics to Ofcom
The existing rules do not apply to coverage of the Olympics on the ‘discovery+’ streaming platform. The linear coverage that will be broadcast by the BBC and WBD does not require consent from Ofcom. The exception for cases where coverage is to be broadcast on both of the categories of service under the listed events rules applies (i.e. the BBC broadcasting services which are ‘qualifying’ services, and Eurosport 1 and 2 which are ‘non-qualifying’ services).
Ofcom published a note on similar arrangements between the BBC and Discovery for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The Media Act’s changes to the listed events rules
The recent Media Act 2024 will amend the listed events rules. The Act updates the range of services which fall within scope of the regime and limits ‘qualifying services’ to those provided by a public service broadcaster. When it is in force, the Act will capture a range of new providers (as ‘non-qualifying services’), including streaming services, who may require consent from Ofcom to show exclusive live coverage of a listed event. However, existing contractual arrangements will not be affected, which includes the arrangements in place between WBD and the BBC up to and including the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.
Alongside this note, we have today published a call for evidence to support our work to implement the Media Act’s changes to the listed events rules. The call for evidence seeks input to help us define key terms used in the amended regime, including considering when live coverage of the Olympic Games should be considered ‘adequate’.
[1] The latest version of the list of events (as of 18 July 2024) was published on 25 April 2022 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (as it then was).