Twenty-five senior executives from the UK's leading sports organisations and broadcasters have written to Chancellor John Healey requesting tax incentives to increase television production of women's sport. The letter, sent on Friday, calls for an extension of the audio-visual expenditure credit scheme—currently available to independent film and children's television producers—to cover women's sports broadcasting.
The signatories include the chief executives of the Football Association, Rugby Football Union, England and Wales Cricket Board, and representatives from Sky Sports, ITV, YouTube and Gary Neville's Overlap podcasting platform. Women's Super League chief executive Nikki Doucet, British Cycling leadership, golf and Formula One executives also signed the joint appeal, which was timed to coincide with the start of the new WSL season.
Why are broadcasters seeking this support?
The sports and media leaders argue that women's sport represents a significant market failure. Television coverage of women's sport accounted for only 13% of all televised sports viewing hours in 2025, despite growing audience interest globally. The signatories contend that targeted tax credits would help create a more sustainable production and broadcasting environment for women's events across the country.
The WSL, the second-richest women's sports league globally after the US National Women's Soccer League, faces particular challenges in attracting consistent broadcaster investment in an increasingly crowded media landscape. Every WSL fixture will be broadcast live in the UK this season, with WSL2 matches available on YouTube, yet the sector continues to struggle with year-round coverage compared to men's equivalents.
What changes are happening to women's football coverage?
The BBC has made significant adjustments to its women's football strategy following the decision to discontinue its weekly highlights programme, The Women's Football Show. However, the broadcaster launched a dedicated Women's Football YouTube channel on 2 September 2026, featuring match highlights, original programmes, interviews and analysis for the 2026/27 season.
The BBC will show 25 WSL matches live on BBC television and this season, with the opening fixture—Chelsea v Aston Villa—scheduled for Saturday, 5 September 2026 at 12:35. Highlights from every WSL match will be available in clips of up to eight minutes on the YouTube channel, alongside a 15-minute post-match programme called The Women's Football Fallout.
What economic case are the signatories making?
The letter to the chancellor presents a detailed financial argument for the proposed tax credit scheme. The signatories predict that a targeted tax credit would generate direct economic returns to the Treasury of £1.40 for every £1 invested, with additional indirect public health benefits estimated at £6.5bn by 2035. These projections are linked to increased participation in women's sport driven by improved broadcast visibility and production quality.
On behalf of the UK's sports, production and broadcasting industries, we are writing to urge you to extend the AV Expenditure Credits to include a targeted, demand-led expenditure credit for live production of women's sport. Global audience demand for women's sport is growing every year, driven by the remarkable achievements of British sportswomen. Supercharging the live production of women's sport would not only capitalise on this demand, but would have huge economic benefits, increase visibility, boost participation and strengthen the UK's leadership in global sport.
The signatories note that independent film companies currently claim tax relief of up to 53% under a scheme introduced by the government in 2004. They argue that extending similar incentives to women's sports production would create what they describe as a virtuous circle: producers could more easily secure funding for live event coverage, invest in higher production values, and enhance viewer experience while raising the profile of British sportswomen.
How does this relate to major sporting events?
The timing of this appeal carries additional significance given that the UK and Ireland are scheduled to host football's Women's World Cup in 2035, a decision due to be ratified by FIFA in November 2026. The signatories view this as an opportunity to establish a stronger domestic infrastructure for women's sports broadcasting ahead of that major tournament.
Despite growth year on year, women's sport still represents a relatively small share of total sports viewing (13% of all viewer hours in 2025) and growth remains largely driven by major tournaments, rather than the year-round coverage tuned into for male equivalents. We believe a targeted tax credit could help address this market failure by creating a more favourable production and broadcasting ecosystem for women's sports across the UK.
The letter also notes that the RFU currently subsidises the BBC's coverage of Women's Premiership Rugby, highlighting the financial pressures on broadcasters attempting to maintain women's sports coverage without dedicated support mechanisms.
Key Facts
- Twenty-five executives from major UK sports bodies and broadcasters have requested tax credits for women's sports television production
- Women's sports represented only 13% of televised sports viewing hours in 2025, despite growing global audience demand
- The signatories project £1.40 in direct Treasury returns for every £1 invested in tax credits, plus £6.5bn in indirect public health benefits by 2035
- The BBC will broadcast 25 WSL matches live this season and has launched a dedicated Women's Football YouTube channel with match highlights and analysis
- The UK and Ireland will host the Women's World Cup in 2035, pending FIFA ratification in November 2026
