BBC replaced by TNT Sports as Commonwealth Games live broadcaster

The BBC has been replaced by TNT Sports as live UK broadcast partner for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The subscription channel outbid the BBC, which had been the main partner and provided free-to-air coverage since 1954 for 18 games in a row.

TNT Sports is part of Warner Bros Discovery and is best known for screening Uefa Champions League matches as well as selected English Premier League fixtures.

The BBC said it was “unable to match” TNT’s bid to screen the games, which will take place from 23 July to 2 August.

TNT Sports said it would show more than 600 hours of live coverage in a “re-imagining” of the games, which will feature 10 sports and six para sports.

The broadcaster said every event would be streamed on HBO Max, which is due to launch in the UK and Ireland in March.

Scott Young, executive vice president at Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe, said its coverage would be “comprehensive, immersive and accessible”.

He added: “We are confident our approach will celebrate the history of the Commonwealth Games while telling new stories of its competitors with unmatched energy and excitement.”

Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026 said the deal would bring more hours of sports coverage for the games “than ever before”.

He added: “This broadcast partnership, secured by Commonwealth Sport, reflects our shared ambition to take coverage of the Games to new and growing audiences.”

The Commonwealth Games are classed a protected event under the Broadcasting Act.

This allows live coverage on subscription television, as long a some secondary coverage is offered to free-to-air broadcasters.

The BBC said it would continue to talk to Glasgow 2026 organisers about showing as much of the Games as possible through its platforms.

A spokesperson said: “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.”

Glasgow was confirmed as host in September last year after a deal was backed by the Scottish government.

A scaled-down version of the event, featuring fewer sports and athletes, will return to the city 12 years after it last hosted the Games in 2014.

The Australian state of Victoria was originally chosen to stage the multi-sport event but withdrew as host due to rising costs.

Australian authorities promised “a multi-million pound investment” to help finalise the deal.

The 23rd edition of the Games will welcome 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories between 23 July and 2 August.

They will compete for 215 gold medals up for grabs over 10 days and 133 sessions of sport.

The BBC will be disappointed that it will not be showing full live TV coverage of the Commonwealth Games.

But the bigger issue is not about the fact BBC Television won’t have live coverage.

It is about the fact the games will not be shown live in full on any major free-to-air TV channel

A major sporting event on a free tv channel – such as the BBC, ITV or Channel 4 – can bring huge numbers of viewers from disparate backgrounds together.

Next year’s World Cup games involving Scotland and England are bound to attract large ratings, even late at night.

The BBC has shown wall-to-wall live coverage of every Commonwealth Games hosted in the UK since 1970.

But it has also helped to make recent games in the UK – Manchester in 2002, Glasgow in 2014 and Birmingham in 2022 – feel like special times for the host cities.

In 2014, the BBC organised a wide range of cultural events outside BBC Scotland’s Glasgow headquarters during the games.

Several network programmes were broadcast from Glasgow, not just the coverage of the Games.

These are scaled-down Commonwealth Games. Glasgow is hosting them at short notice with no public funding and the organisers will want to raise as much revenue as possible.

Despite the organisers’ attempts to drum up excitement, the event feels very different this time.

There is no talk of a lasting legacy to the city – from new buildings or major sports facilities to public health benefits.

There will still be highlights on a terrestrial TV channel and some live coverage on a major channel may still be possible.

But without the full live coverage on a channel which everyone can watch for free, will there be the same sense of wider public engagement or feeling that the Games are a special time for Glasgow and Scotland?