David Davies, former executive director of the Football Association (FA), has been appointed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to lead a review of sporting events that are reserved for free-to-air television.

The FA Cup Final, the Olympic Games and the Grand National are currently among the 10 Group A events which have full live coverage protection under the terms of the 1996 Broadcasting Act. A further 10 Group B events, including the Ryder Cup, the Cricket World Cup and the Commonwealth Games have secondary coverage protected, which means that pay TV channels are allowed to bid for live coverage rights, with highlights on terrestrial television.

The review will cover three main areas, including the principle of having a list, the criteria against which events may be listed, and the content of any list. Culture secretary, Andy Burnham, said: "The Beijing Olympics and Paralympic Games this summer, when the whole nation came together to watch our fantastic medal success, showed us just how important the broadcast of big sports events is.

"But the sale of TV rights helps fund grassroots sport, so we need to get the balance right." Davies added: "I go into the review with an open mind, and well aware of the rapidly changing broadcasting landscape, with both free and pay channels competing. It will be essential to recruit a panel from as wide a spectrum as possible, and certainly to ensure that the views of all the nations that make up the UK are represented.

Consultation will be held as part of the review, involving broadcasters, rights holders and the public, and a report is expected to be published in the second half of 2009.