The Commonwealth Games will not be broadcast on the BBC next year for the first time since 1954, with TNT Sports buying the live UK rights for next summer’s event in Glasgow.
The BBC is understood to have made an offer to continue its 72-year coverage but was outbid by TNT’s owner, Warner Bros Discovery, with the Commonwealth Games prioritising a larger financial offer above the bigger audience guaranteed by terrestrial television.
TNT will broadcast 600 hours of coverage from the 11-day event in Glasgow and is understood to be exploring the possibility of making some of their coverage available free-to-air. For the Olympics, Eurosport – now TNT Sports – made live coverage from Paris available to streaming subscribers for £3.99, and plans to do similar for Glasgow.
TNT also has the UK rights for next year’s Winter Olympics in Milan following last year’s merger with the Warner Bros-owned Eurosport, as well as the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, part of which will also be shown by the BBC. Having recently lost the rights to the Champions League and international rugby, TNT regards securing the Games as a coup.
The decision of Commonwealth Sport, which runs the Games, to prioritise revenue over reach reflects its financial problems before an event that has been beset by difficulties and could have been cancelled altogether.
Glasgow stepped in as last-minute host after Australia pulled out, with £100m of funding for the event still coming from the state of Victoria, which was the original host. The Games have been reduced in size, with fewer events, but the financial margins remain tight.
While it did make an offer, the BBC is open about prioritising other sporting events that bring in more viewers. The BBC has added live rights to Bundesliga football, the Women’s Champions League and the home nation’s World Cup qualifiers, as well as retaining its existing coverage of Six Nations rugby and highlights of the men’s Champions League.
The long-term future of the Games remains in doubt amid declining interest from broadcasters, sponsors and athletes, but last month’s announcement that Ahmedabad will host the event in 2030 has provided a timely boost.
India is also preparing a bid to stage the Olympics for the first time in 2036 in what is expected to be a straight fight with Qatar.
“This is another landmark moment as we continue to re-imagine what a Commonwealth Games looks and feels like for athletes and fans alike,” said Katie Sadleir, the chief executive of Commonwealth Sport. “With a heavyweight broadcast partner like Warner Bros Discovery on board across the UK and Europe for Glasgow 2026 and the recent decision to award the 2030 Commonwealth Games to India, alongside strong interest for 2034, the future of our movement has never been more secure.
“With more events available live and a strong focus on athlete storytelling, fans will be closer to the Games than ever before.”
