Premier League supporters would have profited from it.
A plan to mandate that the Premier League broadcast at least ten games every season for free has been put to a vote by members of parliament.
With broadcasters like Sky Sports, Amazon Prime, and TNT Sports, every Premier League game since its launch in 1992 has been behind a paywall, albeit during the Covid-19 outbreak, a few games were shown on the BBC for free.
However, the Liberal Democrats proposed an amendment to the Football Governance Bill that included a promise to broadcast the Championship, League One, and League Two play-off finals as well as at least ten Premier League games for free each season.
According to the competition’s most recent TV deals, viewers would need to pay £660 to watch every game the next season.
The Liberal Democrats were sure they would get a vote.
Lib Dem Culture, Media, and Sport spokesperson Max Wilkinson MP stated: “I’m urging MPs of all stripes to back our amendment to tear down the paywall and make Premier League games available on free-to-air channels.”
“For far too long, the crown jewel of British football has been hidden behind a costly wall that keeps fans out while enriching broadcasters,” he continued. A free-to-air revolution that returns the Premier League to the nation must put an end to that now.
However, only 86 MPs voted in favor of permitting 10 Premier League games to be shown for free on Tuesday afternoon, while 340 MPs voted against the proposal.
This is how fans responded to the news on social media.
One said: “They have voted unequivocally against what 99 percent of football fans want, even though it’s such an open goal as a good-favour gesture. A mess.
Another wrote: “Why not vote if politicians truly cared about the people? Quite insignificant in light of everything else that is happening, but it should convey a lot to you.”
“Kids should be able to watch, look up to, and feel inspired by their footballing heroes,” a third person said. In addition to being priced out of stadiums nationwide, every Labour MP has now voted against allowing them to watch it on television. “Absolutely disconnected!”
Another stated: “This is a joke result – from MP’s on all sides of the house – what happened to the working class sport for working class people?” And a sixth was added: “This was an amendment to the Football Governance Bill that could’ve given a sliver of access to people who cannot afford the subscriptions.”
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