Broadcasters and free tiers

The broadcasters that make legal free sport possible. What each one carries, whether it is genuinely free at the point of use, and what it does not cover.

• RTVE Play: free sport — Quick answer: RTVE Play streams RTVE and Teledeporte sport free, with free registration and some geographical restrictions. Protected major events, national-team sport and a good deal of minority sport are its strong point. It does not cover the big club leagues, which sit on pay platforms, and it offers highlights rather than full seasons.
• RaiPlay: free sport — Quick answer: RaiPlay streams Rai's sport for free, with registration and geographic limits. It covers protected events, Olympic sport and some of the football that Rai shows free to air. It does not carry the whole Serie A season or the European club competitions, which sit on pay platforms. Registration is free and some content requires you to be in Italy.
• BBC iPlayer: free sport — Quick answer: BBC iPlayer streams BBC sport free in the UK, but it requires a TV licence and only works within the country. Wimbledon, the Games and protected events are its core. There is no pay-per-view, and access is free once registered, but the licence fee funds the service and live viewing is restricted to the UK.
• ITVX: free sport — Quick answer: ITVX streams ITV's sport free in the UK, but you need to register and the service is geoblocked. It covers some international football and a few protected events, while the Premier League and most club football are on pay platforms. Unlike the BBC, it does not require a TV licence: it is funded by advertising and registration is free.
• ARD and ZDF: free sport — Quick answer: ARD and ZDF are Germany's public broadcasters and show major events and some national sport for free in Germany, including through their ARD Mediathek and ZDF Mediathek apps. The Bundesliga is mostly behind a paywall, although summaries and selected matches remain available. They are funded by the compulsory household broadcasting fee.
• Pluto TV: free sport — Quick answer: Pluto TV is free with ads and offers sports channels and occasional events, but it is not a replacement for a broadcaster with major rights. Its catalogue varies by country, so availability and channels can differ from one market to the next. It is a complement rather than a full alternative.