The BBC has lost the rights to two major sports events, with TNT Sports and Channel 4 set to take over coverage of the Commonwealth Games and the Boat Race
The BBC is set to face a tough year in 2025, having lost the broadcasting rights to two high-profile sporting events. The Commonwealth Games and the Boat Race, which have been staples of the BBC’s sports coverage for decades, will be shown on rival channels in 2026.
TNT Sports has snapped up the rights to the Commonwealth Games, outbidding the BBC in the process. The corporation had been broadcasting the Games since 1954, but a statement revealed: “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.”
To add insult to injury, Channel 4 has secured the rights to broadcast the iconic Boat Race, a centuries-old contest between Oxford University and Cambridge University on the River Thames. The BBC had screened the majority of the races since television coverage began in 1938, with a brief stint by ITV from 2005 to 2009.
The new agreement with Channel 4, which starts this year, will cover major milestones such as the centenary of the Women’s Boat Race in 2027 and the bicentenary of the Men’s Boat Race in 2029.
This news comes on the heels of last year’s event, which saw record-breaking audience numbers, with the women’s race becoming the most-watched female sporting event of 2025 up to that point.
An estimated 2.8 million viewers tuned into BBC One’s coverage in April, with a peak of 2.18 million recorded for the women’s race, reports the Express.
Wimbledon continues to be the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the BBC’s dwindling sports portfolio, although its contract is due to end after the 2027 tournament. In a significant shift in broadcasting arrangements, TNT Sports has started airing the iconic tennis tournament.
The channel secured the rights to broadcast highlights in the UK from the 2025 tournament onwards.
The broadcaster, formerly known as BT Sport, has taken over the five-year deal initially signed by Eurosport, which disappeared from UK screens last year when it was rebranded as part of TNT Sports. Both channels are subsidiaries of Warner Bros Discovery.