The BBC will not broadcast this iconic sporting event for the first time in over 72 years when it arrives in the summer
For the first time since the 1950s the BBC will have no broadcasting rights whatsoever for the Commonwealth Games. The prestigious sporting event makes its return to Scotland this summer.
Live TV and digital media rights to the Games, last staged in Birmingham in 2022, had already been snapped up by TNT Sports after it outbid rivals. It had been widely anticipated that the BBC would still be granted a free-to-air highlights package, including daily round-ups and evening highlights.
Yet the BBC will not air the 2026 event at all, with Channel 5 stepping in to provide free public access through highlights coverage. It marks the first time in more than 70 years that the corporation will have no involvement in broadcasting the Games.
The BBC has also lost the rights to several other major events this year. In March, it was confirmed the corporation would not broadcast any of The Boat Race, with Times Radio securing the radio rights after Channel 4 took over the TV coverage. It also lost the live broadcasting rights to England’s matches in the men’s Six Nations.
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Viewers can catch around 600 hours of live Commonwealth Games coverage on TNT Sports this summer. The competition will run for 11 days and take place in Glasgow.
The Games were originally scheduled to be hosted by Victoria in Australia, but the Victorian government pulled out of its hosting commitments due to dramatically escalating cost projections. Glasgow, which last hosted the event in 2014, stepped in to save the competition.
Channel 5 will be the broadcaster showing free highlights. Chief content officer Ben Frow said: “The Commonwealth Games is one of the standout events in a fantastic summer of sport this year.
“Here at 5 we’re delighted to be working with TNT Sports to bring the biggest sports stars to a free-to-air audience in the United Kingdom.”
This setback for the BBC is the latest in a string of disappointments. Priorities appear to have shifted within the corporation, which has been grappling with budget constraints.
Previously, The Open, live Formula 1 races and live Test Match cricket were all broadcast on the BBC’s channels. However, director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski admitted earlier this year that they do not need to air live sport to stay relevant.
Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football conference, he said: “My challenge to us at the BBC all the time is let’s just make sure we are in the conversation of the things that matter.
“For example, we have audio rights to Formula One but not video rights. But we still have reporting and live pages and digital video that draw in millions and millions and millions of people.
“You can still be relevant, you can still matter if you don’t show the sport. No one out there can show it all. So, you just have to make sure you’re in the conversation.”
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