Steven McIntoshEntertainment reporter
PA Media
Cambridge men’s team pictured after their victory in the most recent Boat Race in April
TV coverage of the annual Boat Race will leave the BBC and move to Channel 4 as part of a new five-year rights deal.
Channel 4 said it was “thrilled” to announce it will provide coverage of both the Men’s Boat Race and Women’s Boat Race for the next five years, starting in 2026.
The BBC said it had been “proud to broadcast the Boat Race over many years”, adding: “Our decision not to continue reflects the difficult choices we need to make to ensure we deliver the best value for audiences with the money that we have.”
The race between Oxford and Cambridge universities on the River Thames in London was first broadcast on BBC radio in 1927, and was televised for the first time in 1938.
The BBC’s statement concluded: “We are pleased the Boat Race will remain available free-to-air and wish all involved in the event every success for the future.”
The BBC has televised the race for most of the past 87 years, but lost the rights to ITV between 2005-09.
BBC sources denied a report in the Telegraph that the corporation’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, viewed the event as “elitist”, adding that the decision had been purely based on the return on investment.
Crown jewel
Pete Andrews, head of sport at Channel 4, said the broadcaster was “thrilled to have secured the rights to one of the most iconic amateur sports events in the British calendar”.
“The Boat Race is rich in tradition and history and British interest in the event has never been stronger,” he added, describing the event as the “crown jewel of the rowing calendar”.
The next edition will take place on Easter Saturday, 4 April 2026.
Channel 4 will formally be welcomed as the new broadcaster at the traditional Presidents’ Challenge event held at Somerset House, which sees the losing crew from the previous year’s race formally challenge the winning crew to a race.
Specialist sports production company FilmNova will continue to produce the coverage.
Siobhan Cassidy, chair of The Boat Race Company, said: “We are delighted to work with Channel 4 to broadcast our unique, iconic and intensely British event between our two world-leading universities.
“We are grateful to the support of our previous broadcast partners and have come a long way since our first radio commentary in 1927 and television pictures in 1938.
“We look forward to seeing how Channel 4 can portray the drama, excitement and heritage of the event.”
