Football is without borders, except in the digital space

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BrusselsReport.eu
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By Zoltán Kész, government affairs manager at the Consumer Choice Center and a former member of the Hungarian Parliament

As a new Hungarian expat living in Spain, a lifelong Arsenal fan, and a former sports commentator, I thought I had everything set up for the second leg of the Real Madrid vs. Arsenal Champions League clash. Good vibes (3:0 in the first leg), tapas, and good Spanish wine—all set for a good 90-minute setup. I had kept my subscription to my streaming provider, paid in full, and assumed I could log in and watch the game like my friends back home. To my horror, I was greeted with the digital dead-end every European sports fan knows too well: “This content is not available in your region.”

In the year 2025, in the EU, it may seem absurd. The European Union proudly promotes its Digital Single Market. We can stream our favorite series across borders, may even bank online from another member state, and roam with mobile data at no extra cost. But when it comes to watching live sports, which is, in my opinion, one of the most unifying cultural forces in Europe, we’re forced to go back behind digital borders, protected by geo-blocks, blackouts, and outdated territorial licenses.

Opponents may argue that territorial licensing must be respected. After all, if a certain broadcaster buys rights for one country, it may seem fair for them to have exclusivity. However, I believe this logic should not apply to a borderless EU where citizens live, work, and travel freely. The model that we have now punishes paying customers simply for crossing an internal border.

What is more, the system is absolutely outdated. Licensing agreements based on borders and territories were drawn up when games were broadcast and delivered through physical means, and borders actually mattered. It is not the case anymore. These contracts do not align with broader legal principles, let alone the reality we live in. In today’s EU without borders, where freedom of movement is a foundational right, these contracts are outdated. When consumers pay for access and move to another country, or just happen to go on a short trip, it does not mean that they want to break the contract. They want the kind of contract that reflects fairness, mobility, and non-discrimination, all as the foundations of the EU. If a contract brings about artificial barriers that violate these very principles, we must question them and amend them. With innovation, laws evolve, and contracts must evolve with them.

I am not talking about piracy. Sports fans like me are more than willing to pay, but we want a fair deal. The ideal would be to have legal, affordable access to watch our teams without being punished for where we happen to live or work. With some innovation and modern technology, a pan-European licensing system or flexible streaming models could easily offer fair, simultaneous access without harming rights holders. Insisting on having artificial digital borders only protects outdated business models, not consumers.

The EU’s current framework doesn’t just fail to deliver. It actively protects this broken system. The 2018 Geo-Blocking Regulation excluded audiovisual services altogether, and in 2023, the European Parliament again voted not to extend the rules to cover sports broadcasts. The message was clear: local deals are more important than consumer rights and their choices.

On behalf of all European sports fans, I say this must change. The current setup favors a few powerful intermediaries at the expense of millions of viewers. We see market fragmentation, which limits competition. Sports fans are forced to juggle multiple subscriptions, accept forced bundles, or overpay for access to their favorite teams, if they can access them at all.

Interestingly, there is a strong case to be made that the status quo clashes with EU law. Under Article 20 of the Services Directive, discrimination based on nationality or residence is prohibited unless objectively justified. So why can’t an Italian living in Brussels legally stream Serie A from home? Why can’t I, a Hungarian living in Spain, use the service I’ve already paid for?

The good news is that change might finally be on the table. In February 2025, the European Commission kicked off its formal evaluation of the Geo-Blocking Regulation. A public consultation is set to launch in the second quarter of this year, with a final evaluation report due by the end of 2025. This review may provide a golden opportunity for policymakers to fix the system and deliver for fans.

My recommendation is quite simple. Respecting the single market, geo-blocking and blackouts for live sports should be banned in the EU. I also think direct-to-consumer streaming options, like the NFL, should be available where you can buy the season, your favorite team, or even just a single game. If all these problems are solved, there would be new players in the streaming market that would make competition thrive, and in the end, consumers would benefit from more choices and lower prices.

Europe is proud of its openness, fairness, and digital innovation. It’s time those values were applied to football, too. Watching your favorite team shouldn’t stop at a border. Sports bring us together, and the law should reflect that.

And the game? The Gunners are in the semis with an away win, too. It was an exciting match thanks to a good VPN provider. 

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