Poland guarantees free-to-air TV for major sporting events

Poland’s media regulator, the Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji (KRRiT), has adopted a new regulation setting out the list of “important events” that must be broadcast on free-to-air television, replacing the previous list in force since 2014. The measure, signed by KRRiT chairman A. Glapiak on 2 September 2026, was published in the Dziennik Ustaw of 10 September 2026 under position 1198 and will enter into force 12 months after its publication.

The regulation is issued under Article 20b(3) of the Act of 29 December 1992 on Radio and Television, and it updates the catalogue of sporting events deemed to be of major social and economic interest. Under Polish law, such events may not be broadcast on an exclusive pay-TV basis, so that the public can follow them on open, free-to-air channels.

The new list of protected events

The regulation designates as “important events” a broad set of competitions across several disciplines, with particular weight given to matches involving Polish national teams and clubs.

Volleyball: semi-finals and finals of the men’s and women’s World and European Championships, plus all other matches of these tournaments involving the Polish national team, including qualifiers.
Volleyball Nations League: men’s competitions staged in Poland, and matches played abroad with the Polish national team.
Handball: semi-finals and finals of the men’s World and European Championships, and other matches involving the Polish team, including qualifiers.
Basketball (men): matches of the Polish national team at the World Championship from the quarter-finals to the final, and at the European Championship from the round of 16 to the final.
Ski jumping: the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and the Ski Jumping World Cup.
Athletics: the World and European Athletics Championships.
Tennis: semi-finals and finals in singles involving Polish players at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
UEFA Conference League: matches of Polish clubs from the round of 32 to the final.
Ice hockey: matches of the Polish national team at the men’s World Championship Elite division.

Repeal of the 2014 list

The new regulation repeals the previous KRRiT regulation of 17 November 2014 on the list of important events, published in the Dziennik Ustaw under position 1705. The 2014 list is superseded in full, and the new catalogue takes its place as the sole reference for broadcasters’ obligations.

Entry into force

Under §4 of the regulation, the new rules take effect after the expiry of 12 months from the day of publication, giving broadcasters and rights-holders a transition period to adapt their transmission plans and contractual arrangements. The delay is intended to allow the market to reorganise coverage so that the listed events remain accessible to viewers on free-to-air channels.

For Polish fans, the regulation guarantees that the country’s most followed sporting moments — from volleyball and handball championships to ski jumping and the Conference League — will not disappear behind paywalls. For broadcasters, it sets a clear legal framework for which rights must be shared with open television, balancing commercial interests with the public’s right to follow major national sporting achievements.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw, no. 1198 of 10 September 2026, p. 1 (official reference: Rozporządzenie KRRiT z dnia 2 września 2026 r., Dz. U. poz. 1198).