Starmer urges TNT Sports to broadcast Arsenal vs PSG final for free

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has renewed his call for TNT Sports to make the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain free to watch in the United Kingdom, speaking publicly on the issue after already writing directly to the broadcaster.

The final, scheduled for next Saturday, is set to be the first in the competition’s history not available to UK viewers without a paid subscription. TNT Sports and its predecessor BT Sport had offered free access to the match every year since acquiring the rights from ITV roughly a decade ago — initially by simulcasting on YouTube, and more recently through Discovery+. That arrangement ended when the service migrated to HBO Max.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Starmer said: “I just think it should be free — it’s always been free every year up to this year. I say this not as an Arsenal fan; all fans want to watch the Champions League final. It’s a big event, it should be free, and that’s why I wrote to them to say ‘please make it free’. I renew that, actually — I really do think they should do that. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

In a post on X, Starmer had earlier written: “Football should bring people together, not shut them out. For the first time since the competition began, fans won’t be able to watch the Champions League final for free. That’s not right. This is bigger than wanting to watch Arsenal in this historic final. It’s bigger than one club. Hardworking people shouldn’t have to fork out for a subscription to watch this match.”

His letter to TNT Sports struck a similar tone. “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,” Starmer wrote. “I am a firm believer that the final of this competition should remain free to watch, whether Arsenal have made it or not. 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. Hardworking people should not have to worry about forking out for a subscription to watch a game of this magnitude.”

Starmer also drew a parallel with his earlier push for FIFA to reduce ticket prices at this summer’s World Cup, framing both interventions as part of a broader commitment to keeping major sporting events accessible. TNT Sports had not publicly responded to his latest remarks at the time of publication.