UK prime minister Keir Starmer has written to TNT Sports, urging the broadcaster to make the upcoming Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain free to watch.
TNT (owned by Warner Bros Discovery) hold broadcast rights for the Champions League in the UK and have made the final available to stream for free in previous years. However, earlier this month it caused outrage by confirming that viewers will only be able to watch the clash at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday 30 May on either its own platform or HBO Max, both requiring a subscription.
The broadcaster said subscriptions to HBO Max were available from £4.99, calling it “exceptional value”.
However, this will be the first time since the European Cup rebranded to the Champions League back in 1992 that the final won’t be available to watch for free. It was shown on ITV from 1992 to 2015 and then streamed for free by TNT Sports and its forerunner, BT Sport, for the past decade.
Prime Minister Starmer, who is a huge Arsenal fan, has now decided to intervene by writing an open letter to TNT imploring them to make the game available without cost – although insists he would have done the same even if his beloved Gunners, who have reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006, weren’t involved.
“I was saddened to see that, for the first time since the competition started 34 years ago, TNT Sports has decided that the Champions League final will not be free to watch for football supporters here in the UK,” wrote Starmer.
“The Champions League is the biggest club football competition in the world and rightly means a lot to fans in this country – the home of football. I am a firm believer that the final of this competition should remain free to watch, whether Arsenal have made it or not.
“Obviously, 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. 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.”
In response, a TNT Sports spokesperson said: “It has been a privilege to bring Uefa club competitions to sports fans across the UK throughout the season. Having three Premier League clubs reach the finals shows the strength of English football and something that we are proud to continue to support.
“We have made all three Uefa finals this year available from just £4.99, the price for a month-long subscription to HBO Max that also includes the great entertainment on the service. This represents exceptional value for fans to watch the conclusion of the competitions.”
Arsenal have reached the Champions League final for just the second time in their history, and the first since 2006, with reigning champions PSG standing in the way of Mikel Arteta’s men, who will try to seal a remarkable double after outduelling Manchester City to clinch a first Premier League title for 22 years.
According to a report in The Guardian, governing body Uefa is irritated at TNT Sports’ decision to charge fans to watch not only the Champions League final, but also the Europa League and Conference League finals – which also involve English teams – despite having made the showpieces available to stream for free in previous seasons. The Guardian’s sources at Uefa say the decision breaks the spirit of a contract that states “best endeavours” should be made to ensure the finals are available for free.
TNT Sports can be accessed through HBO Max, BT, Sky, Virgin Media or Amazon PVC, with subscriptions typically costing between £25 and £34 a month, while a separate HBO Max plan in the UK starts from £4.99.
And Starmer has appealed to TNT to make watching football more affordable for fans, citing a similar plea to Fifa to lower World Cup ticket prices.
“We should be putting supporters first,” continued Starmer. That is why I have already encouraged Fifa to do more to make tickets more affordable at this summer’s World Cup.
“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.”
TNT Sports are set to lose TV rights to all three European competitions from the 2027-28 season, having been outbid by Paramount for the Champions League and by Sky Sports for the Europa League and Conference League in Uefa’s media rights auction last year.
