Royal Ascot 2026 on TV for free: Schedule, live stream and phone

Royals and famous faces will be among the 300,000 fans that flock to Berkshire for Royal Ascot – one of the highlights of the flat-racing calendar.

For those not donning hats or fascinators, all 35 races across the five days will be broadcast live free-to-air, including the Gold Cup on Thursday and the Commonwealth Cup on Friday.

Runners and riders will be aiming for a slice of the £10.65 million prize pot on offer, while plenty of UK viewers will be tuning in and hoping for big wins of their own.

The most prestigious event of the British racing year has arrived – and there will be extensive coverage throughout on TV and online.

Radio Times brings you all the TV details you need to know for Royal Ascot 2026, including the full TV schedule.

How to watch Royal Ascot on TV

Fans can tune in to watch the event for free on ITV1 and ITVX every day.

The last race of each day will be shown on ITV4, which will also broadcast The Opening Show – a preview of each of day of Royal Ascot – every morning at 9:30am.

Every race will also be shown live on Sky Sports Racing.

Sky Sports can be added to any Sky TV package for just £22 per month for all nine sports channels, or you can pick up the complete sports package plus Netflix for £35 per month.

• Find out more about the best Sky packages

Live stream Royal Ascot online and via phone

You can also live stream the festival via ITVX on a range of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Sky Sports customers can live stream the game via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices including most smartphones and tablets as part of their subscription.

You can also watch the match via NOW with a day membership (£14.99) or month membership (£34.99).

NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW is also available via TNT Sports.

Royal Ascot schedule on TV today

Day 2: Wednesday 17 June – Royal Wednesday

ITV 1: 1:30pm – 6pm, ITV 4: 5:50pm – 6:30pm

Sky Sports Racing: 1:30pm – 9pm

• 2:30pm – Queen Mary Stakes
• 3:05pm – Queen’s Vase
• 3:40pm – Duke of Cambridge Stakes
• 4:20pm – Prince of Wales’s Stakes
• 5:00pm – Royal Hunt Cup
• 5:35pm – Windsor Castle Stakes
• 6:10pm – Kensington Palace Stakes

Day 3: Thursday 18 June – Ladies’ Day (Gold Cup Day)

ITV 1: 1:30pm – 6pm, ITV 4: 5:50pm – 6:30pm

Sky Sports Racing: 1:30pm – 9pm

• 2:30pm – Norfolk Stakes
• 3:05pm – King George V Stakes
• 3:40pm – Ribblesdale Stakes
• 4:20pm – Ascot Gold Cup
• 5:00pm – Britannia Stakes
• 5:35pm – Hampton Court Stakes
• 6:10pm – Buckingham Palace Stakes

Day 4: Friday 19 June

ITV 1: 1:30pm – 6pm, ITV 4: 5:50pm – 6:30pm

Sky Sports Racing: 1:30pm – 9pm

• 2:30pm – Albany Stakes
• 3:05pm – Commonwealth Cup
• 3:40pm – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
• 4:20pm – Coronation Stakes
• 5:00pm – Sandringham Stakes
• 5:35pm – King Edward VII Stakes
• 6:10pm – Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes

Day 5: Saturday 20 June

ITV 1: 1:30pm – 6pm, ITV 4: 5:50pm – 6:30pm

Sky Sports Racing: 1:30pm – 9pm

• 2:30pm – Chesham Stakes
• 3:05pm – Jersey Stakes
• 3:40pm – Hardwicke Stakes
• 4:20pm – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
• 5:00pm – Wokingham Stakes
• 5:35pm – Golden Gates Stakes
• 6:10pm – Queen Alexandra Stakes

Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.