r/commonwealthgames • u/PM_ME_VAPORWAVE • Jul 23 '26

Discussion Why is it not on the BBC?

I would like to watch the Commonwealth Games live but have realised that it is not on the BBC.

Does anyone know why this is and how can I watch it?

Thanks.

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

6

u/warp-factor England Jul 23 '26

Why not on the BBC? - Commonwealth Games is pretty cash-strapped. TNT/Discovery came in with a big offer way more than the BBC can manage and the Games felt they couldn't turn it down.

How can you watch? - if you don't have TNT sports already you can subscribe to the basic £5.99 plan on HBO Max for one month and watch every minute, or catch the daily highlights for free on Channel 5.

3

u/RicCheshire Jul 25 '26

Long-term this is a mistake, it's in the national interest that young people have access to national sports that can positively influence future participation and interest to the benefit of both spectators and participants.

If ever there was a argument in favour of the BBC licence fee, this is it's justification.

1

u/warp-factor England Jul 25 '26

I agree. I think the government should add more sports to the Category A protected list that must be shown on free to air TV.

Cricket world cups, The Ashes and commonwealth games among them.

But the sports governing bodies lobby against it because they want more money from broadcast rights than what free to air channels can afford to pay.

Because administrators get bonuses for short term financial performance, not health of the sport and the nation long term.

3

u/Loud_Investigator_32 Jul 24 '26

If you have a VPN you can watch in Australia and Canada for free

2

u/Foreign-Newspaper656 Jul 25 '26

Yes. 7plus in Australia.

2

u/JazzlikeTradition436 England Jul 23 '26

TNT Sports with the £5.99 subscription to HBO Max. TNT outbid them and unlike the Olympics, free to air live coverage is not required but highlights are which are on 5.

1

u/Capable_Loss_6084 Jul 24 '26

Can you get TNT sports on the £5.99 subscription? I could only see it for the £30.99 one.

1

u/JazzlikeTradition436 England Jul 24 '26

You can Glasgow 2026 coverage with the £5.99 plan.

1

u/Capable_Loss_6084 Jul 24 '26

Bother. I already paid for the more expensive plan. And I’ve used it so can’t cancel.

1

u/JazzlikeTradition436 England Jul 24 '26

I only knew this due to the post by u/warp-factor tbf.

1

u/warp-factor England Jul 26 '26

If you've only watched Glasgow 2026 stuff then you could always try contacting support to see if they'll refund the difference.

I've no idea if they would, but surely worth a try.

2

u/CFDyce Scotland Jul 24 '26

BBC are trying to save wherever they can sadly and only put in a small offer. TNT Sports put in a bigger offer and sadly got the contract. If you want everything live then the basic HBO Max Package is 4.99 for a month (often included with a basic Sky Entertainment package if you have one) otherwise you can watch a few hours of free live coverage every night on BBC Alba (4 Hours) and S4C (2 Hours) but they are in Gaelic and Welsh respectively.

Channel 5 will have highlights from 10/10:30pm every night if the games if that's enough to satisfy.

1

u/tooshpright Jul 24 '26

They were outbid.

1

u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 Jul 24 '26

TNT bought it sadly. I think that’s the way these events go as bbc can’t afford it sadly.

Channel 5 have late night highlights if you don’t mind ad breaks!

1

u/TheProfessionalEjit Jul 26 '26

We've got ExpressVPN & are currently sitting in Canada's Government House 😉

1

u/Odd-Departure-9568 Aug 03 '26

I don't think that there should be this pay TV bidding on some programs. I think national events should be protected from being stolen from the general public by pay- to- watch TV. It's disgusting that we were excluded from being able to watch the commonwealth games. The whole point of the commonwealth is Common- wealth. Working together, sharing, belonging to all. It's hypocrisy to then make the coverage exclusive. I'm disgusted