The Commonwealth Games 2026 opening ceremony will be broadcast live on 5 as part of the channel’s free-to-air plans for this summer’s event.
The broadcaster has also confirmed that TV presenter and former Olympic sprinter Jeanette Kwakye will front their nightly highlights show.
Glasgow 2026, which starts on Thursday 23 July and runs until Sunday 2 August, is the first Games since TNT Sports outbid the BBC to become the home of coverage in the UK, which ended a 72-year partnership.
As a result, there will be no live free-to-air English language coverage of the Commonwealth Games on TV, but fear not, sports fans, 5 will offer you a way to catch all the big moments without paying for a subscription.
The channel will have a nightly highlights show, which begins on Friday 24 July at 10:30pm, and is set to be available on 5, on streaming, and on the 5 Sport YouTube channel.
Glasgow 2026 begins with the opening ceremony on Thursday 23 July, which will also be shown live on 5 from 6:30pm.
“I can’t wait to be fronting the highlights coverage of the Commonwealth Games for 5,” said Kwakye. “It’s such a special event, full of brilliant stories and incredible sporting moments, and I’m looking forward to bringing viewers the best of the drama from across the Games, every single day.”
Director of Sport at 5 Raphael Pendergast added: “The Commonwealth Games is one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar, and we’re thrilled to be on the ground in Glasgow, bringing viewers live coverage of the Opening Ceremony, plus daily highlights hosted by the brilliant Jeanette Kwakye, who we’re delighted to be working with again. As well as our broadcast and streaming platform, we’ll also be bringing fans highlights and clips on the Channel 5 Sport YouTube channel, giving audiences even more ways to enjoy the action.”
Live English language coverage of the Commonwealth Games will be available exclusively on TNT Sports, who are set to show more than 600 hours of events and have introduced a new Commonwealth Games 360 channel.
The cheapest way to access the TNT Sports coverage is through HBO Max, which costs £4.99 per month for a basic plan with ads.
It was also confirmed earlier this week that Gaelic broadcaster BBC Alba will be showing nightly live coverage and highlights of the Games.
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TNT Sports and HBO Max have exclusive live English-language coverage of the Commonwealth Games, while there is a nightly English-language highlights show on 5 as well as Gaelic live coverage and highlights every night on BBC Alba.
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