BBC Sport and World Snooker Tour have extended their broadcast agreement to 2032 – and it’s great news for fans.
The five-year extension to the current agreement ensures that the Triple Crown events will remain free-to-air for many millions of snooker fans across the UK, with comprehensive live TV and iPlayer coverage of snooker’s three most prestigious tournaments, the World Championship, UK Championship and the Masters.
It comes as many other sports, including darts, which has seen a resurgence thanks to teenage sensation Luke Littler, see more of its schedule on paid-for channels like SkySports.
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Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport said: “Snooker has been a cornerstone of BBC Sport programming since 1969, and extending our partnership with World Snooker until 2032 is fantastic news for the audience. It ensures the drama, intensity and excitement of the Triple Crown events remains free-to-air and we look forward to many more years of iconic sporting moments.”
WST Chairman, Steve Dawson added: “For more than 50 years we have had an outstanding relationship with BBC and their coverage of the Triple Crown is a fundamental part of those three events. So many millions of fans love watching snooker on BBC and it has always been vital to us to keep the biggest tournaments free to air.”
WST chief commercial officer Peter Wright noted the pleasing viewing figures of the ongoing Masters tournament in London: “The broadcast figures are extremely strong this week at the Masters which highlights the enduring appeal of snooker and the drama it produces year after year,” he said. “We look forward to many more years working alongside the BBC, delivering world class sport to a vast audience.”
The Masters, currently taking place at Alexandra Palace and celebrating its 50th anniversary, is followed by the World Championship in Sheffield in April and the UK Championship in York in November. Last year, BBC Sport’s coverage of the Triple Crown events had 33.9m streams across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and over 16m tuning in on TV.
