The rights to TV broadcast of sport events

Abstract

Based on several different sports broadcasting markets, mainly in the European Union and the United States, this article provides analysis of the regulations on television sports broadcasting. The article surveys the history of sports broadcasting in TV and how significant economic and socio-cultural role plays sport and media rights of sporting events nowadays. In this paper the Author presents the main legal issues connected with the market of rights to broadcast sporting events. Starting from issue of copyright, the Author point out different legal regulations regarding the protection of sports events and their transmission. Also, in context of media rights, this paper tries to analyse issue of access to major events and the current EU regulation. As it is examined, current EU major events legislation creates various socio-cultural benefits which citizens gain from free-to-air sports broadcasting. The main object of this article is to examine the system of sale of sports media rights in the light of the EU competition law and its development, also trough examples of legal cases, such as UEFA Champions League case. The article also describes the question of ownership of the rights to broadcast sports events, which is important for determining entitles authorised to sell these rights. In the same time, the Author considers possibilities of restrictions on freedom of media rights’ sale. Finally, the Author outlines the structure and legal nature of the agreement to transfer the rights to broadcast, so called ‘broadcasting contract’. Here, the point is to present main aspects and provisions necessary for the proper contract. The results of this analysis suggests that in many cases we can find correct regulations in the field of the rights to tv broadcast of sports events.