‘Absolute madness’ – Fans furious as they realise major sporting event not on terrestrial TV for first time in 76 years

FANS have been left up in arms after the BBC sensationally snubbed the opportunity to broadcast the Commonwealth Games. For as long as athletics fans can remember, the British broadcaster has hosted the Games’ coverage. The BBC will not show the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 18 editions Credit: PA Josh Kerr is set to star in front of a home crowd after his record-breaking mile on Saturday Credit: PA The BBC announced that they were “unable to match” the bid and instead viewers will have to turn to the subscription-paid service TNT Sports. Outraged fans rushed to social media to comment on the first change since 1954. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! One X user wrote: “Why on earth isn’t it on BBC2, rather than repeats of Bargain Hunt or Homes Under the Hammer!” Someone else said: “Elderly people who don’t have the technology cannot see this great sporting event. Absolute madness.” The majority of the action will be available on HBO Max, their streaming service. In the UK, HBO Max subscription prices range from £4.99 to £14.99 per month, depending on the plan. But the major sporting event will be made available across all plans. But for those wanting a free option, Channel 5 announced they will be showing “extensive highlights”. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Adam Ramsay-Peaty is also set to compete at the Games Credit: Getty BBC Alba will still be showing some live coverage between 5:30pm and 10pm, as well as opening and closing ceremonies BUT in Gaelic. This will be available for free on BBC iPlayer. Glasgow is set to host all the action in a scaled-back edition of the Games, with 16 events, including the para sports. Hockey will be dropped from this edition, alongside diving, rugby sevens and cricket. Australia’s state of Victoria was confirmed as hosts in the summer of 2022. But a year later, then-premier of the state Daniel Andrews admitted that the costs had rocketed from £1.2billion to £4bn and they could no longer afford to host. Comment now