talkSPORT Eyes BBC Formula 1, England Cricket Radio Rights
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 16, 2026
talkSPORT rights push
talkSPORT is moving to expand its live rights portfolio and is weighing bids for BBC radio coverage of Formula 1 and England home cricket. Liam Fisher said the station will explore a bid for BBC Radio’s long-held live Formula 1 coverage and also look at England home cricket rights. A successful move would end the BBC’s exclusive Formula 1 radio coverage. Fisher said the station wants major events that fit its audience and a schedule built around “always-on” coverage throughout the week. He also said Formula 1 is a strong fit for talkSPORT’s listeners. The push comes as BBC cuts and savings plans open a path for rivals to chase live rights that have sat with the broadcaster for years. talkSPORT has already secured live coverage of England’s winter cricket tour of South Africa, a sign that the station is already working beyond its football base and trying to build a broader rights mix around live sport.
Formula 1 strategy
Fisher tied the rights push to talkSPORT’s wider growth and to the appointment of Jon Norman as sports rights manager. He called Norman’s arrival a pivotal moment in the station’s strategy, a sign that talkSPORT wants to be more aggressive in the live events market. The station is targeting sports that can drive regular listening across the week, not just one-off peaks, and Fisher said that model suits the way talkSPORT now wants to operate. Formula 1 fits that thinking. Fisher also pointed to the station’s broader footprint beyond football. He said talkSPORT now carries rights to the Lions, the Olympics, away cricket, golf, boxing, darts, MotoGP and the NFL. That spread shows the scale of the station’s ambitions and the direction of travel for its rights team.
England cricket bid
England home cricket is the other major target in talkSPORT’s sights. Fisher said the station will explore a bid for those rights as well, a move that would put talkSPORT in the running for one of the BBC’s most familiar live properties. BBC Radio’s Test Match Special has covered England’s home cricket for generations, so any challenge would reach into the radio sports landscape. The possibility of change is also linked to the England and Wales Cricket Board, which has suggested it may allow more than one radio broadcaster for home series. That shift would create direct competition for BBC radio coverage and give rival stations a clearer route into the market. talkSPORT already has one foothold in cricket through its live coverage of England’s winter tour of South Africa, and the station appears to be using that platform to broaden its cricket offering. Fisher’s confidence in the audience fit matters here too. He said talkSPORT’s Breakfast show has already overtaken BBC 5 Live in morning listeners, a marker of the station’s reach as it looks to move further into live rights across sport.
