BBC secures 3-year WRC broadcasting deal
18th September 2026The British Broadcasting Corporation has secured a three-year agreement to broadcast the World Rally Championship from 2027 to 2029.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
On Friday, the WRC confirmed that the BBC will broadcast the upcoming rounds of the sport across the United Kingdom, bringing live coverage from 2027 to 2029.
It will see the BBC broadcast select live stages, including the Wolf Power Stage, on all of the WRC rounds included in this agreement. The coverage will be delivered as a collaboration between BBC Scotland, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland.
A 60-minute highlight programme will also be produced for each rally.
“This is a fantastic addition to our sports portfolio with teams across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland coming together to bring audiences one of the world’s most thrilling motorsport championships,” said Rhuanedd Richards, Director, BBC Nations.
“The World Rally Championship combines elite sporting competition with dramatic locations and compelling stories, making it a natural fit for the BBC.
“The return of Rally Scotland to the WRC calendar is particularly exciting and we look forward to capturing all the thrills and excitement for audiences when it kicks off next year.”
As part of the deal, it also provide ‘extensive’ live coverage of Rally Scotland across all four days of competition as the WRC returns to Britain since 2019, next season.
Audiences will be able to follow all the action on BBC iPlayer, with digital rights included allowing the content to be shared across other BBC platforms.
Prior to the announcement, other networks had UK television rights with the likes of TNT Sports (formerly known as BT Sport), which had shown live coverage since 2014. ITV has produced highlights since 2020 and S4C provides coverage of the WRC in Wales.
It becomes the first UK broadcast rights deal since Cosmobilis, and private credit investor, Park Square Capital acquired WRC Promoter, thus becoming the new commercial rights holder.
On the announcement, WRC Promoter CEO, Éric Boullier said:
“Our partnership with the BBC marks an important step in our strategy to grow the WRC’s reach and visibility in the UK.
The BBC is one of the country’s most trusted and influential media organisations, and its powerful combination of television, digital and social platforms gives us a unique opportunity to reconnect with existing rally fans while introducing the championship to a new generation.
With Rally Scotland joining the calendar next year, the timing could not be better to strengthen the WRC’s presence in such an important and historic market for rallying.”
The news follows the WRC’s announcement to axe the Saudi Arabian season finale due to ‘uncertainty’ and logistic trouble, and the championship will now end in Rally Italia Sardegna.
In the announcement, the WRC has confirmed the 2027 calendar is set to be announced in ‘the near future.’
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
