There have been significant changes over recent decades which have contributed to the structure of the UK’s sports broadcast market. To understand the structure of the sports broadcast market, an understanding of the various advances in and impact of broadcast technology in necessary. During the 1980s, the UK broadcast market was dominated by a small number of free – to –air (FTA) broadcasters. The most dominant FTA broadcaster was the British Broadcasting (BBC). Other broadcasters were ITV, which was a network of independent regional broadcasters, Channel 4, a small broadcaster which at the time was government – owned but was managed and operated as an independent broadcaster. The BBC, who at the time operated two channels, was, and still remains, a public service broadcaster whose funding was through mandatory payment of a licence fee by all households with television sets. The other broadcasters, however, operated as commercial channels and were funded through the sale of commercial and advertising space around programming. During this period, the transmission of programmer was via an analogue signal which households received through television aerials