§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers she has to insist that recorded highlights of major sporting events including international football matches, are shown on terrestrial television. [188426]
§ Estelle MorrisNone. Provisions of the Broadcasting Act 1996, as amended by the Communications Act 2003, ensure that when rights to live coverage of events on the statutory list are made available they should be offered to the free-to-air broadcasters who reach 95 per cent. of UK audiences (currently BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4), either for live coverage (Category A events) or for delayed coverage or highlights (Category B events). It is a matter for the relevant broadcasters whether they acquire these rights and show the sporting events.