The BBC has lost all rights to a major sporting event for the first time in 76 years. The broadcaster will not air any of the Commonwealth Games next month, marking the first time since 1950 that it has not covered the event. This follows the loss of the Boat Race.
Channel 5 and TNT Sports Step In
Channel 5 has acquired the remaining coverage of the competition after TNT Sports secured the live rights. The Games, set to be held in Glasgow, will run from July 23 to August 2, 2026. Channel 5 Chief Content Officer Ben Frow said: "The Commonwealth Games is one of the standout events in a fantastic summer of sport this year, and 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 UK."
The Commonwealth Games will welcome 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories to Britain, after last being held in Birmingham in 2022.
BBC's Difficult Period
This comes during a challenging time for the BBC, which has also scrapped Football Focus and lost rights to the Boat Race. Head of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski told the Financial Times Business of Football conference in February: "Our job is to tell people things they don't know about the thing they care about most. And we're all living in this very different media landscape now, where most of us are seeing things first on our phone anyway, and we're all swiping and swiping on the same tiny little screen. We're not competing against who we were competing with before."
New Acquisitions for BBC
In response to losing some historic rights, the BBC has acquired live rights to Bundesliga football, the Women's Champions League, and the home nations' World Cup qualifiers. It has also retained its existing coverage of Six Nations rugby and highlights of the men's Champions League. Additionally, the BBC will share live broadcast rights of the forthcoming football World Cup with ITV and of Wimbledon with TNT Sports, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Potential Changes to Radio Coverage
There are also reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is considering breaking up the BBC's monopoly on radio coverage by inviting the likes of Talksport to broadcast alongside it.
The BBC stated: "The BBC has been proud to broadcast the Commonwealth Games over many years, but our bid was unable to match the financial offer from the market. We wish them every success for next year."
