The Government is to revisit which sporting events should remain available on free-to-air television.

Jeremy Hunt: Announced another review will take place in 2013

A fresh review will be launched next year, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt confirmed on Monday.

Among the event which will be scrutinised will be the Olympics which is currently on the ‘crown jewels’ list which must be shown on terrestrial TV.

The BBC have just been awarded the Olympic rights up until 2020 but pay-TV broadcasters such as Sky, owners of sportinglife.com, would be able to bid for the rights after that if the Listed Events rules are relaxed.

Shortly after being formed in 2010, the coalition Government shelved a review of Listed Events carried out under the previous Labour Government, but Hunt said they will look into the issue again once the digital switchover is complete.

Hunt said: “We are going to have a look at it.

“We postponed it until the digital switchover was completed this autumn.

“We thought that was the right thing to do because the broadcasting landscape is likely to change.”

In other countries, the International Olympic Committee sell the rights to pay-TV broadcasters who then sub-contract 200 hours to free-to-air stations to show.

There has been some pressure on Britain from the IOC to adopt a similar practice, but so far that has been resisted.

The BBC are believed to have paid around £120million for the rights to the next four Olympics – two winter Games and two summer Games.

Other Listed Events include the FA Cup final, the World Cup, the European Championships, the Derby, the Grand National and Wimbledon.