Keir Starmer and the Football Supporters’ Association have jointly urged TNT Sports to make the Champions League final free-to-air, saying "Football is for the fans" and adding, "We stand together in support of the tradition of European club competition finals being shown free to air and urge TNT to honour this tradition by making the Champions League final free to watch for millions of fans, as it always has been."
The appeal comes as the final — Arsenal versus Paris St Germain — is set to be behind a paywall in the UK for the first time this weekend. The match will be played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30, kicking off at 5pm UK time.
The weight of the dispute is simple: for 34 years the Champions League final had been accessible without charge via free-to-air television or free online streams, including past free viewing through outlets such as YouTube or a free Discovery+ account. That run ends this season, and the development has prompted the joint statement to add: "This is bigger than any one club or match," "This is about putting fans first" and "There is still time to make the right call."
TNT Sports, which holds the broadcasting rights after BT Sport became TNT Sports in 2023, said it had tried to strike a balance by offering access through a low-cost streaming option. A TNT Sports spokesperson said: "It has been a privilege to bring Uefa club competitions to sports fans across the UK throughout the season." The spokesperson added, "Having three Premier League clubs reach the finals shows the strength of English football and something that we are proud to continue to support."
On the central point of access and price, TNT’s public comments were explicit: "We have made all three Uefa finals this year available from just £4.99, the price for a month-long subscription to HBO Max that also includes the great entertainment on the service." The broadcaster concluded its statement by saying, "This represents exceptional value for fans to watch the conclusion of the competitions." Those three Uefa finals include the Champions League final and the other continental showpiece matches this season, after Aston Villa won the Europa League final and Crystal Palace won the Conference League final.
Context matters here: the dispute is strictly about how the Champions League final will be shown in the UK. Historically, viewers could rely on a free route to the match; this season the only publicly announced option is a paid sign-in via TNT/HBO Max at the advertised one-month price of £4.99. For fans asking where to watch Champions League action this weekend, the practical answer from the rights-holder is the TNT Sports feed, accessed through the HBO Max subscription scheme.
The tension is plain. Supporters and Starmer frame the final as public tradition and say a paywall breaks a 34-year habit. TNT frames its move as a reasonable commercial transition and highlights cheap access for those who do not subscribe. The parties are now at odds over principle versus price: a £4.99 month remains an option, but the joint plea underlines that some see any charge as a departure from long-standing practice.
Unless TNT changes course before kickoff, the immediate outcome is clear: viewers in the UK who want to watch Arsenal v Paris St Germain live on Saturday at 5pm UK time will need to access TNT Sports via the HBO Max month-long subscription or another TNT platform for subscribers. The more consequential question for the future is whether a one-off concession or a negotiated free-to-air arrangement will be restored for the competition’s marquee matches — but for this weekend the cheap subscription is the only confirmed path to watch the final live.
