Channel 5 secures Commonwealth Games highlights deal as BBC ends 72-year run | Commonwealth Games 2026

Channel 5 has agreed a deal to indicate a every day highlights programme from the Commonwealth Games this summer time, with the BBC opting to not broadcast any protection of the occasion in Glasgow.

TNT Sports secured reside rights for the Games final yr by outbidding the BBC, which declined the chance to take a highlights bundle after holding talks with TNT.

As a end result, the sports activities channel group owned by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), which is able to broadcast greater than 600 hours of reside protection from Glasgow, is known to have agreed to sublicense highlights rights to Channel 5. The Games shall be out there on all tiers on HBO Max.

Paramount Skydance, which is Channel 5’s dad or mum firm, has agreed a $110.9bn (£83bn) takeover of WBD. This is within the means of gaining regulatory approvals, though that has no bearing on the proposed Commonwealth Games deal, which was the results of a aggressive tender course of.

The BBC has broadcast each Commonwealth Games since 1954 so its stance represents a big change of coverage, reflecting the monetary pressures it’s dealing with and the company’s concentrate on shopping for clip rights quite than highlights or reside occasions.

The BBC introduced final month that it’s being compelled to chop between 1,800 and a couple of,000 jobs as a part of a £500m effectivity drive with a view to sort out “significant financial pressures”, with its price range for sport anticipated to take a significant hit because of this.

Budgetary pressures have already led the BBC to change its plans for overlaying this summer time’s World Cup, which shall be offered from its studios in Salford quite than on location within the United States, Mexico and Canada, whereas ITV can have a studio in New York all through the match.

The BBC’s obvious indifference to the Commonwealth Games is essentially right down to considerations over the occasion’s restricted viewing figures. The company stepped away from protection of the University Boat Races, which had been proven reside by Channel 4 for the primary time this yr, for comparable business causes, resulting in questions on whether or not it’s fulfilling its public service remit.

The company’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, has been unapologetic in regards to the concentrate on digital content material to draw a youthful viewers, nevertheless, which has led to a brand new concentrate on clips rights, significantly in soccer.

Over the final 12 months the BBC has purchased reside rights to Bundesliga soccer, the Women’s Champions League and the house nations’ World Cup qualifiers, in addition to retaining its present protection of Six Nations rugby and highlights of the boys’s Champions League.

Channel 5 has beefed up its sports activities protection over the previous 12 months, shopping for reside rights to England males’s cricket T20 internationals, final summer time’s Club World Cup and two weekly NFL video games.

Channel 5 declined to remark.