Watching Sport in the UK
The UK has one of the most fragmented sports rights markets in the world, and it has just been through a round of changes that most guides have not caught up with. Two of them matter more than the rest, and both are covered below.
Two things that changed recently. TNT Sports left discovery+ and
now streams through HBO Max, which launched in the UK in March
2026. And Amazon Prime Video no longer carries any Premier League
football — it exited after the 2024-25 season. Advice telling you
otherwise is out of date.
What you can watch free in the UK
Start here, because it is more than people expect. The UK has strong free-to-air protections for major events, and they are genuinely enforced.
| Sport | Where it is free |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon | BBC — fully free, secured by contract to 2033 |
| Six Nations | BBC, ITV and S4C — all free. BBC has five matches, ITV has ten including all England games |
| FA Cup | BBC shows 14 matches a season including the final, plus S4C for Welsh clubs |
| NFL | Two live games every regular-season Sunday on Channel 5 and 5Action, plus all six European games, the playoffs and the Super Bowl |
| Formula 1 | Channel 4 carries the British Grand Prix live plus highlights of every race |
| MotoGP | ITV carries the British GP and about two other races live, with highlights on ITV4 |
| Cricket | BBC has daily Test highlights; Channel 5 has two men's and two women's T20s live; BBC carries 10 men's and 8 women's Hundred matches live |
| Horse racing | ITV Racing covers around 90 days a year including Cheltenham, the Grand National, Royal Ascot and the Derby |
| EFL | ITV carries 10 live matches plus highlights, including the Carabao Cup |
| Super Bowl | ITV and ITVX |
The TV licence applies. BBC iPlayer needs a licence for everything on it, live and on demand. More broadly, TV Licensing requires a licence for any live TV watched online on any service, and its guidance names YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video. ITVX and Channel 4 need no licence for on-demand, but their live channels do.
Football: who has what
This is the part that has changed most, so it is worth reading carefully.
| Competition | Paid | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Sky Sports (about 215 matches) and TNT Sports (about 52). The 3pm Saturday blackout still applies. | BBC Match of the Day highlights only |
| Champions League | TNT Sports, through HBO Max | BBC highlights only — no live free coverage |
| Europa League | TNT Sports through 2026-27, then Sky Sports from 2027-28 | None |
| EFL and Carabao Cup | Sky Sports | ITV, 10 live matches plus highlights |
| FA Cup | TNT Sports | BBC, 14 matches including the final |
| Women's FA Cup | TNT Sports | Channel 4, six matches including the final |
Amazon is out of the Premier League. It held a package in the previous cycle and does not hold one now. A large number of guides still list it.
Other sports in the UK
- Formula 1 — Sky Sports has every race live to 2034. Channel 4 carries the British GP live plus highlights of the rest.
- Cricket — Sky Sports has England home Tests, ODIs and T20s live to 2028, plus ICC events. BBC has daily Test highlights.
- NBA — Sky Sports signed an 11-year deal from 2025-26 with over 100 live games a season, plus the WNBA from 2026-27. Note that TNT Sports lost the NBA after 2023-24, even though its own website still lists it.
- NFL — Sky Sports carries more than half of all games, RedZone, the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Channel 5 carries two games free every Sunday.
- UFC — TNT Sports and HBO Max carry every card, with numbered events sometimes on TNT Sports Box Office. UFC Fight Pass has the archive.
- Golf — Sky Sports has the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship live. BBC has daily Open highlights only.
The main services, and what they cost
| Service | Carries | From | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Sports | Premier League, EFL, F1, cricket, golf, rugby, NFL | About £20/month as an add-on, on a 24-month contract. Not sold alone. | No |
| NOW | The same Sky Sports channels without a contract | £14.99 for a 24-hour day pass, or £34.99/month | No |
| TNT Sports via HBO Max | Champions League, exclusive Premier League, FA Cup, MotoGP, UFC, NBA | About £30.99/month, with 12-month saver plans cheaper | No |
| DAZN | Boxing, Serie A, National League, NFL Game Pass. No Premier League or Champions League | £14.99/month | No, but a permanent free tier exists |
| Premier Sports | LaLiga, Champions Cup rugby, URC, Scottish football, NHL | £13.99/month on a 12-month term, or £18.99 monthly | No |
| Amazon Prime Video | No Premier League. Some tennis and other events | Included with Prime | Yes, 30 days |
The DAZN trap in the UK
DAZN operates in the UK, which surprises people who have read that it does not. But it carries no Premier League and no Champions League here. What it does carry is boxing — a very large amount of it — plus all 380 Serie A matches, the National League, and NFL Game Pass.
This is the country-by-country problem in miniature: DAZN holds Premier League rights in Canada and Spain, and does not hold them here. There is a full country breakdown.
The cheapest legal routes
- One match, one weekend? A NOW day pass at £14.99 beats a month's subscription.
- Only the big free events? BBC and ITV cost you nothing beyond the licence you may already have.
- Boxing or NFL? DAZN, which also has a free tier worth checking first.
- Serie A? DAZN carries all 380 matches.
- LaLiga or rugby? Premier Sports is the cheapest of the paid options.
Where can I watch the Premier League for free in the UK?
Only highlights, on BBC Match of the Day. There is no free live Premier League football in the UK, and the 3pm Saturday blackout still applies.
Does Amazon Prime still show Premier League football?
No. Amazon exited after the 2024-25 season and holds no Premier League package now. Many guides still list it.
Where did TNT Sports go?
It moved from discovery+ to HBO Max, which launched in the UK in March 2026. discovery+ now only sells its entertainment plan. Advice about a "discovery+ Premium" subscription for TNT Sports is out of date.
Is DAZN available in the UK?
Yes — it operates here, with boxing, Serie A, the National League and NFL Game Pass. It does not carry Premier League or Champions League football in the UK, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
Does TNT Sports still show NBA in the UK?
No. Sky Sports took the NBA from 2025-26 on an 11-year deal. TNT Sports lost it after 2023-24, although its own website still lists NBA among its sports.
What is the cheapest way to watch Sky Sports?
For occasional viewing, a NOW day pass at £14.99. For regular viewing, NOW's monthly membership at £34.99 avoids the 24-month contract that Sky Sports itself requires.
Where to go next
Premier League coverage worldwide Champions League Free live streams Watching sport in the US