Sports Ticker #112: Leicester City's PSR appeal, Paralympics success and Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 coverage

In a fortnight which saw ParalympicsGB claim second place at the Paris Paralympics 2024, the Scottish government strongly encouraged to back the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the French Rugby Federation agree a new supplier partnership with Adidas, we bring you updates on AI-powered translation of sports commentary, Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 on the BBC, and Leicester City's successful appeal of its PSR charge.

As always, if there are any issues on which you'd like more information (or if you have any questions or feedback), please do let us know or get in touch with your usual contact at RPC.

Channel 4 takes gold on Paralympics coverage

18 million viewers tuned into Channel 4 to watch the Paris 2024 Paralympics, equating to over 30% of the TV population across the relevant period. At the competition's halfway point, the number of terrestrial viewers was 4% higher than for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, but the number of those streaming had doubled. In total, 4.3 billion minutes of Paris 2024 Paralympics coverage were watched across Channel 4's TV and streaming services. ParalympicsGB's Tully Kearney winning gold in the Women's 200m Freestyle S5 was one of the most-watched moments, hitting 1.6 million viewers. Channel 4 has described its coverage as "the most accessible games to date", due to improved British Sign Language and enhanced audio descriptions. Pete Andrews, Channel 4's Head of Sport, said "Hosting the streams on YouTube has been a big hit with the viewers and it's fantastic to see audiences flock to our coverage across linear, streaming and social."

Tech-ing down barriers

The World Health Organization and International Paralympic Committee have launched an "Equipped for Equity" campaign. The campaign aims to highlight the transformative impact of assistive technology on sports during the Paris 2024 Paralympics, urge governments to take more positive action to remove hurdles, and showcase national initiatives which have been effective in the past. For example, Zimbabwe instituted a tax exemption on assistive technologies such as modern wheelchairs and prosthetics, and France and Japan also offered tax reductions for assistive technology for sports. The campaign will rely on sharing personal stories from Paralympians on how assistive technology has changed their lives, together with examples of notable policy advancements to spur government action. The goal of the campaign is to encourage governments to: remove barriers to assistive technology by reducing taxes on them; integrate them into health care; and increase access for everyone that needs it.

Leicester City scores to win its PSR appeal

Premier League club Leicester City has won its appeal over an alleged breach of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSRs). The independent commission found that the "far from well drafted" PSRs meant the Premier League lacked the jurisdiction to penalise Leicester City. Under the PSRs, Premier League clubs are only allowed losses of £105 million over a rolling three-year period, with Leicester having a PSR figure of £129.4 million. Leicester were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season and transferred their PL share to Luton on 13 June 2023. However, due to Leicester moving their financial year end from 31 May to 30 June back in April 2023, they were able to successfully argue that: (1) the accounting position on 30 June 2023 is the account-ending period determinative of breach; (2) Leicester stopped being a PL Club on 13 June 2023; and (3) they might have been able to reduce their losses in the 17 days between 13 June and 30 June 2023. The result was that the £105 million threshold didn't apply to Leicester when their PSR calculation could be carried out on 30 June 2023, so it wasn’t in breach of the rules. The Premier League has indicated that the rules are likely to be redrafted to avoid a similar situation in the future.

Full stream ahead to the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025

BBC Sport has announced its exclusive coverage of Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 in England, with every match available to watch on TV, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. World No.1s the Red Roses will be taking to home turf in the hopes of stopping New Zealand from claiming three world cup crowns on the bounce in a final hosted at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Scotland and Wales are yet to qualify but still have a chance. The deal supplements BBC Sport's portfolio of UEFA Women's EURO 2025, Women's Super League, the Olympic Games, and Wimbledon. The coverage is anticipated to boost women's rugby even further, following stellar viewership numbers of 8.1 million for the Women's Six Nations earlier this year. About the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said "Big sporting moments have a unique ability to unify bringing people together and never more so when international competitions play out on home soil."

AI translates to success

Speech and translation AI provider, CAMB.AI, partnered with Eurovision Sport (part of the European Broadcasting Union) to test live AI-generated translated commentary at the 2024 Lima World Athletics U20 Championships. CAMB.AI provided real-time dubbing sports commentary from French to Portuguese for viewers of the competition. The development follows CAMB.AI's successful trial in April of this year, when it provided a football match between Orlando City B and Inter Miami II with live translated commentary in French, Spanish and Portuguese alongside the English original. CAMB.AI's tech is intended to help fans enjoy real-time, accurate and engaging commentary in their native languages. Eurovision Sport reportedly entered the partnership to democratise access to international athletics events. Jean-Baptiste Casta, Director of Business Operations & EurovisionSport.com said "Recent trials ... have demonstrated the audiences' huge appetite for commentary in their own languages".

Extra time...

…and finally, the world of sponsorships and partnerships continues apace. UEFA has announced bet365 as a sponsor for the UEFA Champions League from 2024-2027, making it the first sports betting brand to sponsor the premier European club football competition. bet365 will enjoy brand exposure from in-game perimeter LED boards, media backdrops and on UEFA Champions League digital channels. Premier League football teams recently voted to ban sports betting sponsorship on shirts by the end of the 25/26 season, a move mirroring similar bans across European leagues. Separately, Ferrari has signed a new partnership with Italian bank UniCredit, marking a departure from Ferrari's three-year association with Santander. The full details of the sponsorship are yet to be announced, but it has been reported that a full swap for Santander is in the running, which would grant UniCredit visibility on Ferrari cars, race suits and caps.