UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has “strongly urged” TNT Sports to make the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain free to air for the British public.
The broadcaster, which is owned by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), has the exclusive UK rights to screen the final in Budapest on May 30, but for the first time in more than 30 years the fixture will be placed entirely behind a paywall.
UK-based viewers who do not already subscribe to TNT Sports or HBO Max, WBD’s streaming platform, needed to pay to watch Aston Villa’s Europa League final win over Freiburg on Wednesday, May 20, and would also have to do similarly for Crystal Palace’s Conference League final versus Rayo Vallecano seven days later, on May 27.
In an open letter to TNT Sports, Starmer, who is an Arsenal supporter, wrote that he was “saddened” by the decision not to make the Champions League final free-to-air and that he believed it should be “free to watch, whether Arsenal have made it or not”.
“I want as many fellow fans as possible to be able to watch our team in this historic final for the first time in 20 years. However, this is bigger than that,” read the letter.
“This is about supporters of all teams coming together in living rooms and pubs in every corner of the country to watch the most elite players in Europe battle it out. Hard-working people should not have to worry about forking out for a subscription to watch a game of this magnitude.
“We should be putting supporters first … That is also why I want to strongly urge you to reconsider and make the final next Saturday free to watch for the millions of passionate football fans in this country.”
A TNT Sports spokesperson said the company’s pricing of all three European finals represented “exceptional value for fans”.
The cheapest option for fans wanting to watch the trio of European finals will be to sign up to HBO Max’s most basic subscription, costing £4.99 ($6.71) a month.
Although it is still a cost viewers have not needed to pay in 34 years, it is markedly cheaper than paying £31.99 ($42.99) to subscribe to TNT Sports.
Since BT Sport, TNT Sports’ predecessor, acquired the Champions League and Europa League rights in 2015-16, the finals have been streamed for free, including on YouTube.
TNT Sports continued that tradition, although last year viewers had to sign up to Discovery+ — at no extra cost — to access the broadcast.
