Free-to-air broadcasters need to think beyond the live

Traditional broadcasters have shaped how we watch sport for decades. In the UK, the BBC used the licence fee to bring us the Grand National, The Open, Test Cricket and the Olympics. These extended well beyond being just TV events, into moments the whole country cheered, chanted, or even cried over.

In 2026, that dominance has all but gone. The BBC, Channel 4 and others have lost rights to several events they long called their own, including the Commonwealth Games, F1 and England cricket. Rights holders are now charging more as pay-TV broadcasters compete harder than ever and outspend their free-to-air counterparts. However, the bigger shift is about how people now expect to watch.

Free-to-air’s slow exit from live sport

For most of the 20th century, free-to-air was the undisputed home of British sport. Over the past two decades, its hold on live rights has been quietly slipping.

TNT Sports has taken the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, after also ending ITV’s Champions League coverage, F1 and England cricket are now at home on Sky Sports, and even the Olympics is now largely behind a paywall. 

These events are the kind of national sporting moments people expect to find on free TV. For many viewers, particularly older audiences and those who cannot afford multiple subscriptions, free-to-air television remains the only realistic way to watch live sport.

With rights costs rising and competition fiercer than ever, free-to-air broadcasters have had to adapt. There’s more focus on highlights, short clips and content aimed at younger audiences who are less likely to sit through a full live broadcast. The BBC is even live-streaming Comic Relief on YouTube for the first time as part of a major new partnership announced in January 2026. 

Sports rights are no longer just about TV

For sports organisations, the landscape has changed enormously. Instead of picking between a handful of broadcasters, they’re now navigating a world of streaming services, social platforms and direct-to-consumer options, each needing different formats and storytelling approaches.

The biggest shift is in what fans actually want. Traditional TV is built around schedules and ownership of rights. Digital platforms flip that, giving fans instant access to highlights, the ability to follow their favourite athletes and behind-the-scenes content whenever they like. Additionally, their algorithms find and bring to the fore the most engaging material, meaning attention must be constantly earned.

Viewers pick what they watch, when they watch it and how long they stick around. Creators like MrBeast and the Sidemen are making content that rivals TV in production quality and with YouTube now sitting alongside traditional channels on smart TV home screens, it’s never been easier to skip the schedule entirely.

Free-to-air’s retreat from live sport is often talked about as a budget problem it can’t solve, but it’s bigger than that. The whole sports media world is moving towards platforms built around the viewer and audience attention, the real prize, is increasingly found on platforms built for engagement rather than broadcasting schedules.

Paying the most for the rights alone won’t bring in viewers, you also need to understand how fans and viewers want to experience sport.

Ed Hunt is a rights management executive at Engage Digital Partners