Views invited on what TV to protect

FOOTBALL’S upcoming Scottish Cup final – between Rangers and Falkirk – is considered to be so important to Scotland that it is protected from moving from free-to-air television viewing.

And the question is being asked, on the 18th of next month, at a public meeting being held in the Scottish Parliament: are there any other events that should be similarly protected?

The exercise is part of an UK-wide consultation being organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – and finishing on July 3.

So far, the UK has only listed sporting events.

But other, non-sporting, events can be listed too, as happens already in Europe: for example, the Vienna Opera Ball in Austria, the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium and The San Remo Italian Music Festival in Italy.

Expected to attend is David Davies, former executive director of the Football Association, and a former broadcaster, and broadcaster, Dougie Donnelly.