Ryder Cup 2023

Ofcom has given its consent to a request from Sky to broadcast exclusive live coverage of the 2023 Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup is taking place in Italy between 25 September and 1 October 2023. Sky intends to broadcast live coverage of the Ryder Cup on its Sky Sports channels. The BBC has acquired secondary coverage rights and intends to show daily highlights of the Ryder Cup on BBC One or BBC Two. The BBC also has national radio rights and intends to broadcast live radio coverage on a station with national coverage.

The Ryder Cup is a Group B listed event for the purposes of the Broadcasting Act 1996 (“the Act”). Ofcom's consent is needed to broadcast exclusive live television coverage of the event under section 101 of the Act.

However, where a second broadcaster providing a service in the other category to the service(s) on which the live coverage is to be broadcast provides adequate secondary coverage of a Group B listed event, and rights to provide live national radio coverage have also been acquired, then Ofcom can grant ‘automatic’ consent to broadcast, without consultation. See paragraphs 1.18 to 1.21 of Ofcom’s Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events (PDF, 71.2 KB) which set out more information about what constitutes adequate secondary coverage. In this case, Sky’s Sky Sports channels are “non-qualifying services” for the purposes of the Act, while BBC One and BBC Two are “qualifying services”.

Having considered the information supplied by Sky, and supplementary information provided by the BBC, Ofcom is satisfied that adequate provision has been made for secondary and radio coverage as set out above and has decided to grant automatic consent to the Sky’s request.