A deal between the World Snooker Tour and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) paves the way for HBO Max to become the streaming home of World Snooker from 2026.
- Multi-year deal also secures snooker coverage on TNT Sports in the UK/Ireland, Eurosport elsewhere in Europe.
- In the UK, the BBC also have live free-to-air rights to World Snooker Triple Crown events.
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has confirmed a renewed broadcast deal for live World Snooker Tour events, securing rights through to the end of the 2030–31 season.
The extended five-year partnership ensures continued live coverage across the UK and Ireland via TNT Sports. Beginning in early 2026, fans will also be able to stream World Snooker Tour events on HBO Max, which is set to launch in the region.
This comprehensive agreement covers the full spectrum of the World Snooker Tour, including the prestigious Triple Crown events — the World Championship, the Masters, and the UK Championship — alongside other major tournaments such as the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, Shanghai Masters, and the Tour Championship.
Importantly, Thursday’s announcement does not affect the existing arrangement between the World Snooker Tour and the BBC. Triple Crown events will remain available to UK audiences on a free-to-air basis via the BBC’s linear channels and iPlayer.
The new deal follows a surge in viewership across WBD’s European platforms. During the 2024–25 season, snooker reached record audiences on Eurosport*, with over 88 million individual viewers and 1,500 hours of broadcast content delivered in each market.
*Note: Eurosport ceased operations in the UK and Ireland during the 2024–25 season, with coverage transitioning to TNT Sports.
Corporate comments
Trojan Paillot, SVP, Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, at WBD Sports Europe, said:
“We are thrilled to extend our long and successful partnership with IMG and the World Snooker Tour to continue telling the stories of the iconic players setting new records and delivering more drama and intensity at the table all year round. With more than two decades of experience and snooker expertise demonstrated by producing coverage of the world’s greatest tournaments, we are perfectly positioned to provide broad access to the World Snooker Tour. By harnessing our comprehensive portfolio of channels and platforms, we will maximise the viewing opportunities for snooker fans across Europe while supporting the growth of the sport internationally.”
WST’s Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Wright, added:
“Eurosport has played such a significant role in developing the popularity of our sport across the continent. We meet so many fans who say that their first experience of snooker was watching on Eurosport. And of course many professional players from countries such as Belgium, Poland and Germany also discovered our sport this way. So in announcing this new extension we are celebrating the marvellous relationship between snooker and Eurosport and HBO Max. We are proud to have grown snooker to a level where it stands alongside huge events like the Olympics, Grand Slam tennis and the Tour de France as the premier sports content on Eurosport and HBO Max. We are excited to be working alongside the team at Warner Bros. Discovery given their visionary approach, heralding a new era in sports broadcasting. We welcome the opportunities for collaboration across sports and wider content – and particularly loved Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal promoting our World Championship! We look forward to building on our long-standing partnership with WBD for the next five years and beyond.”
By: Marc Thornham | Image: WBD