Watching the Football Game: Broadcasting Rights for the European Digital Television Market

Abstract

In Europe, heavy competition between broadcasters for sports broadcasting rights and consumer’s attention has raised policy questions concerning both competition and content issues. Exclusivity of sports broadcasting rights may foreclose new media markets and deprive the public access to major sports coverage. This interdisciplinary article is at the crossroad of media, economic, and regulatory studies, and it aims at providing a more holistic analysis of topical issues in the sports broadcasting rights industry, with particular focus on both upstream and downstream markets. It is argued that a concise regulatory framework is required to grant fair access to mediated sports in society.