Denmark is taking significant steps to enhance accessibility to major sports events on television. Culture Minister Zenia Stampe has initiated a draft regulation aimed at creating a “sports list.” This list will provide the most popular TV channels with an early opportunity to bid for broadcasting rights to key competitions, ensuring that more Danes can enjoy live sports.
Key Features of the Proposed Sports List
For instance, when Denmark’s women’s national football team plays at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, viewers can expect to watch the matches on prominent channels like DR and TV 2. This is a notable improvement compared to Euro 2025, which was less accessible as the rights were held by TV3 and TV3+.
The proposal stipulates that any channel utilized by at least 60% of Danes each month will be granted priority access to bid for events on the sports list. Currently, this threshold is achieved by DR and TV 2, allowing them to secure broadcasting rights for the most anticipated competitions.
The sports list encompasses events of significant public interest, with newly included competitions such as women’s football, the Tour de France, and the Paralympic Games. The events proposed for inclusion on the list are:
- Summer and Winter Olympics
- Paralympic Summer and Winter Games
- Denmark’s matches at the football World Cup and European Championship finals, including qualifiers for both men and women
- Denmark’s matches at the handball World and European Championships, including qualifiers for both men and women
- The men’s and women’s Tour de France
While the proposed broadcasting rights will still be negotiated based on market terms, there is no assurance that the priority channels will bid for or obtain the rights to these events. Furthermore, the ministry has clarified that the priority rules will not apply if the favored broadcasters opt not to utilize their bidding opportunity.
The introduction of this new sports list is an integral part of the 2023–2026 media agreement, aimed at making major sporting events more accessible to the Danish public.