UK MINISTERS are being urged to ensure the Commonwealth Games is protected on free-to-air TV following criticism over the event only being broadcast live on a subscription service .
Live coverage of the Commonwealth Games from Glasgow is exclusive to TNT Sports after the Warner Bros Discovery-owned channel outbid the BBC, which has until now shown every edition of the Games since 1954.
The BBC is only showing the Games live in Gaelic on BBC Alba .
But another part of the reason the event is not on the BBC is because it is not protected on free-to-air TV.
The Commonwealth Games is regarded as a Group B listed event by Ofcom, meaning the rights can be sold to a subscription service providing secondary coverage such as highlights is made available on free-to-air.
Only Group A listed events – which includes Fifa World Cups, Euros and the Olympics – are fully protected and must be shown on a free channel.
The decision over which events go into which list is made by the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
There has previously been criticism around the Six Nations also being deemed a Group B event , with fears it may move to a subscription service in the years to come.
Green MSP Gillian Mackay has now called on the UK Government to step in and ensure the Games is protected in the future, describing its move to subscription TV as an "extraordinary step backwards".
She told The National: "For some athletes, the Commonwealth Games are their only opportunity to represent Scotland on the world stage, and people across the country should be able to share those moments with them.
I'm gutted that BBC Sport doesn't air the Commonwealth Games anymore. It feels like the end of a tradition 💔 @BBCSport
— Anushka Perera (@PeAnushka) July 28, 2026
“But far too many families are being priced out of watching those moments live, and instead forced to decide if they should pay for yet another monthly internet subscription.
“Locking live broadcasts behind internet streaming paywalls will shrink the audience and deny children the chance to discover new sports and athletes to be inspired by, whilst undermining the wider national legacy that hosting an event of this scale should create.”
Questions need to be asked why the Commonwealth Games are not being shown free of charge on terrestrial television.
— Scotland’s Story (@80_mcswan) July 28, 2026
She added: "The BBC showed more than 200 hours of coverage across its main channels in 2022. The loss of free coverage is an extraordinary step backwards.
“The UK Government must step in and do its part to improve Ofcom’s listed-events categories so that future Commonwealth Games can be shown live and free.”
Athletes taking part in the Commonwealth Games often compete under the Team GB banner in their sports at the Olympics and world championships and so relish the chance to represent Scotland at a major international event.
But viewers are being denied the chance to see and be inspired by these athletes because of the Games being on TNT Sports, for which a monthly subscription ordered online costs more than £30 a month.
However, TNT Sports has said the Games are available to view from £4.99 a month via a subscription on HBO Max.
Scotland's Sport Minister Maree Todd told The National: "The Scottish Government were very clear we wanted the Games to be available on free-to-air so that everyone across the UK could share in the event. It's a home-hosted Games and we think that the full impact can only be felt if everyone can access it.
"I can remember many moments of inspiration over the years at the Commonwealth Games which I was only able to access because of free-to-air television. So we're really disappointed.
"The Scottish Government made direct representation to the BBC and to UK ministers but to no avail.
"This time around the challenge was there is no public funding for this Commonwealth Games and they have a commercial imperative to break event which maybe put more pressure on the bidding for broadcast rights. I absolutely believe that if the will had been there we could have got round that."
Commonwealth Sport chief executive Katie Sadleir described the deal with TNT as a “landmark moment” adding that "fans will be closer to the Games than ever before".
The DCMS has been approached for comment.
