Why fans in UK were warned of $1350 fine for watching 'Battle of Sexes' clash between Kyrgios and Sabalenka

The much-debated ‘Battle of Sexes’ is done and dusted. Nick Kyrgios defeated Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai in an entertaining match between the Australian male and Belarusian female stars.

The arena was packed with fans in Dubai and a lot more tuned in from across the world to watch the game dubbed as a battle between the two genders. ‘Battle of Sexes’ borrows the name from the iconic 1973 clash between a former Grand Slam champion Bobby Riggs and women’s tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King.

King had trounced the American veteran Riggs in straight sets in an iconic moment in tennis and the match was heavily watched all over the world. The Sabalenka-Kyrgios match too attracted widespread attention and polarised opinions across the tennis world.

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UK fans warned ahead of ‘Battle of Sexes’

In the United Kingdom, the contest was shown live on BBC One and also streamed on BBC iPlayer. However, fans had to ensure that they had an active license which is required as per the TV licensing laws in the country that apply equally to all live broadcasts. Even those watching on other devices need to have this license to watch live broadcast of BBC.

Watching the ‘Battle of Sexes’ without license thus invites a £1,000 fine ($1,350), as well as an appearance in magistrates court.

A UK TV Licence fee is a mandatory annual payment of £174.50 for households that watch live TV on any channel or use BBC iPlayer. It funds BBC services in the country.

What happened in ‘Battle of Sexes’

Kyrgios was tested hard but still won the latest version of the “Battle of the Sexes” in tennis, beating top-ranked women’s player Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3. It was played in a light-hearted manner with laughing and joking between the players, some under-arm serves, over-the-top grunting on shots, and even some dancing from Sabalenka during a timeout.

Kyrgios, who has been struggling with injuries of late, praised Sabalenka’s fight after the match.