Starmer urges TNT Sports to make Champions League final free-to-air

Sir Keir Starmer has urged TNT Sports to make the Champions League final free-to-air, arguing that the match is bigger than the two clubs on the pitch and should be available to supporters across the United Kingdom.

In an open letter to the broadcaster, the prime minister said he was saddened that, for the first time since the competition began 34 years ago, the final would not be free to watch in the UK. Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025/26 final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest on Saturday 30 May, with kick-off at 18:00 CEST. The question now is not only who lifts the trophy, but who gets to see it without paying.

Starmer framed the issue as a national one, saying the final matters to more than Arsenal and PSG fans and belongs in "supporters of all teams coming together in living rooms and pubs" across the country. His intervention placed the match inside a wider argument about access, pricing and the commercialisation of major sporting occasions that still draw audiences far beyond the two clubs involved.

TNT Sports has said a £4.99 month-long HBO Max subscription would allow viewers to watch the final as well as UEFA’s other two club finals, calling the package "exceptional value." But the move has triggered criticism because TNT had previously allowed free access to the Champions League final through live broadcasts on YouTube or Discovery+, a model that ended after Warner Bros Discovery launched HBO Max in March 2026.

The issue reaches beyond one final. Ofcom’s listed sporting events regime is designed to keep certain major occasions widely available for free, including events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. The Champions League final is not among the examples on Ofcom’s listed-events page, which leaves broadcasters free to place it behind a paywall unless they choose otherwise.

That makes Starmer’s letter as much a policy challenge as a football row. TNT Sports will lose the Champions League rights from 2027, with Paramount taking over, but the 2026 final is still the last chance for the broadcaster to decide whether one of Europe’s biggest nights will remain a shared public moment or become another subscription product. For a match expected to command attention well beyond north London and Paris, the decision carries a clear civic cost.