Public service media and sport in the age of platforms: The cases of Flanders, South Africa and the United Kingdom

In Europe and beyond, coverage of sporting events and competitions has long been a highly valued part of the programming mix offered by public service media. For PSM, sport (and particularly live sports coverage) provides a way to bring communities and/or the nation together, as well to reach audiences that are otherwise often under-served by PSM, such as lower-income groups. However, over the last decade or so, the ability of PSM organisations to utilise sport to enhance cultural citizenship in these ways has increasingly come under threat, due to a combination of budget cuts and escalating rights fees. Using examples from Flanders (VRT), South Africa (SABC) and the United Kingdom (UK) (BBC), this article details some of the main ways that PSM organisations, who continue to see sports coverage as an important part of their remit, have responded to this twin challenge. The article begins by outlining why sport remains such a key genre for PSM and their viewers. The second and main part then analyses how the PSM organisations examined here have adopted three sports media rights buying and distribution strategies, namely: increased coverage and promotion of women’s sport; a renewed focus on minority sports; and, the growing use of their online platforms to enhance the attractiveness of PSM for both viewers and sports organisations. The final part of the article highlights the need to update major events legislation (sometimes referred to as ‘listed events’ or anti-siphoning’ legislation), which, in many countries/regions with PSM, including Belgium/Flanders, South Africa and the UK, is designed to ensure that certain key national and/or international sporting events (e.g. the Olympic Games; FIFA World Cup football tournaments) remain universally available via free-to-air television.