The head of a free-to-air channel has said that top sports are "prepared to reject large offers from subscription broadcasters if it allows them to attract bigger television audiences," according to Callum Jones of the LONDON TIMES. UKTV-owned Dave GM Steve North said that rights holders were "constantly evaluating" the benefits of events appearing on pay-TV channels such as Sky and BT. He added that football was “literally the only sport” that can achieve impressive ratings through premium platforms. North said that many sports no longer see TV rights as "just about getting a big cheque." He said, "It’s about ensuring that as many people as possible have access to watch top sportsmen in whatever profession we’re talking about. At the end of the day that’s what a lot of those rights holders, who are the federations behind those sports, are tasked with doing, which is increasing participation in the relevant sports." Almost 3 million viewers watched Liverpool play ManU on Sky in October. North said that as the national game, football is able to get "the best of both worlds" when auctioning TV rights, with big audiences tuning in to premium channels. However, he said that sports such as cricket had “suffered,” with "dwindling audiences driving down participation since key fixtures first moved to premium channels." Dave's bosses "accept that it cannot match the sports rights budgets of Sky and BT." North: "We're not playing in that world" (LONDON TIMES, 12/29).
