World Snooker Tour to remain on BBC Sport until 2032

The World Snooker Tour (WST) has secured a five-year extension to its free-to-air (FTA) broadcast rights agreement with BBC Sport.

Under the renewal, snooker’s World Championship, UK Championship, and the Masters will continue to air on the public service broadcaster until 2032.

This extension perpetuates the BBC’s longstanding association with snooker’s Triple Crown events, which dates all the way back to 1969.

In 2023, BBC Sport’s coverage of the Triple Crown attracted 33.9 million streams across BBC iPlayer and its website, while over 16 million viewers watched on the network’s linear TV channels.

This year’s edition of the Masters was held at Alexandra Palace, taking place between 12th and 19th January.

The World Championships is set to take place in 19th April, with the UK Championship scheduled for 19th November.

BBC’s expansive UK rights portfolio includes the Olympic Games, Wimbledon, FA Cup, the Women’s Super League (WSL), and both Men’s and Women’s Euros.

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.”

Steve Dawson, Chairman of the World Snooker Tour, 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.”

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