25-04-2021, 09:09 PM
Robertclark125 post_id=8984 time=1619369928 user_id=1163 Wrote:But surely the governing bodies are free to decide for themselves, who they want to have as their broadcaster. If I were to set up a new governing body in Scotland for Dominoes, for instance, and I decided I wanted to get Channel 4 to show it, and approached them, without inviting others, then that's my choice. It's my competition, surely I'm entitled to choose a broadcast partner, as opposed to a tender?In the past the Premiership rights have been regulated, on the basis of them being by far the most important rights for subscription TV, and this led to them not being allowed to be sold to just one buyer, and for not longer than three years. Initially the body regulating them was the Office of Fair Trading and the UK's Restrictive Practices Court, and more recently the equivalents at EU level. Given the latter has fallen away this time, it will be back with UK bodies as to decide what is allowed to happen.
It is only really this set of rights that is regulated in this way (in the UK) - at one point the ownership of the subscription rights for the output of the main film companies was also under investigation, but the rise of Amazon and Netflix streamers has put that very much in the shade.