The chief executives of the Football Association, Rugby Football Union, and England and Wales Cricket Board have collaborated with prominent broadcasters and YouTube to appeal to the chancellor for tax incentives aimed at production companies. This initiative seeks to enhance the television coverage of women’s sports.
A letter, endorsed by 25 representatives from the UK’s leading sports organizations and broadcasters, including Sky Sports and ITV, calls on the government to expand the current audio-visual expenditure credit scheme, which currently provides tax benefits to independent films and children’s television, to cover women’s sports productions as well.
This joint correspondence was sent to John Healey on Friday, timed with the launch of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season. Among the signatories is WSL Chief Executive Nikki Doucet, along with leaders from British Cycling, golf, and Formula One.
The WSL ranks as the second-highest earning league for women’s sports globally, following the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States. However, it faces hurdles in attracting broadcasters in a saturated market.
This season, every WSL match will be aired live in the UK, with WSL2 games available on YouTube. Nonetheless, the BBC has made the contentious decision to discontinue its weekly highlights program, The Women’s Football Show.
Reports indicate that the WSL has previously assisted the BBC in covering production expenses, while the RFU supports the BBC’s broadcasts of Women’s Premiership Rugby.
The BBC is not a signatory of the letter to Healey, which also includes representatives from emerging media entities like YouTube and Gary Neville’s Overlap podcasting network.
The executives express concern that only 13% of sports broadcasts viewed last year featured women, labeling this disparity a market failure that has economic and public health repercussions.
In their letter, they state, “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.”
The letter continues, “Global audience demand for women’s sport is increasing annually, fueled by the extraordinary achievements of British female athletes. Enhancing the live production of women’s sports would not only meet this demand but also yield significant economic benefits, improve visibility, encourage participation, and reinforce the UK’s position in global sports.”
Independent film companies can currently access tax relief of up to 53% through a scheme established in 2004 during Tony Blair’s administration. The prior chancellor, Rachel Reeves, faced criticism for not enhancing its terms in the last autumn budget.
The signatories, including Sky Sports CEO Jonathan Licht, contend that implementing similar incentives for women’s sports production could generate £6.5 billion in indirect public health benefits by 2035, coinciding with the scheduled hosting of the Women’s World Cup by the UK and Ireland, pending FIFA’s ratification in November.
The letter further explains, “Despite consistent growth, women’s sports still account for a relatively small portion of overall sports viewership (13% of all viewing hours in 2025), with growth largely driven by major events rather than regular coverage akin to that of male sports.”
“We believe that a targeted tax credit could rectify this market failure by fostering a more supportive production and broadcasting environment for women’s sports across the UK.”
“This would establish a positive feedback loop where producers can more easily secure funding for live event broadcasts and invest in higher production quality to enhance viewer experience and elevate the profile of British female athletes.”
“In addition to creating new jobs in the industry, we anticipate direct economic returns for the Treasury of £1.40 for every £1 invested, alongside indirect benefits of £6.5 billion by 2035, driven by the economic and health impacts of boosting participation in women’s sports.”
