5 has selected ITV Sport Production to produce its coverage of World Snooker Tour (WST) events.
The Paramount-owned broadcaster secured rights to the competitions earlier this year with coverage starting with the 2026 Players Championship which runs from February 16th to 22nd.
ITV Sport Production’s contract with 5 marks the first time it’s producing coverage for broadcast not carried on an ITV channel or platform.
Mark Demuth, Managing Director of ITV Sport Production said: “We are thrilled to partner with 5 on their snooker coverage, an exciting new venture bringing prestigious WST events live to mainstream TV.
“This marks a pivotal moment for ITV Sport Production, as we strategically expand beyond ITV network and leverage our production expertise to produce diverse sporting content for all broadcast platforms, starting with 5.”
Raphael Pendergast, Acting Head of Sport, 5 commented: “We’re delighted to be working with ITV Sport Production to bring two of the most prestigious events in the snooker calendar to our viewers.
“The partnership brings together ITV Sport Production’s world-class expertise with our ambition to deliver high-quality, free-to-air sport to the widest and most accessible audience possible.”
WST Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Rowell said: “We have worked with ITV Sport Production on many snooker events in recent years so we know they are a fantastic team and they will help deliver an outstanding product.
“We’re thrilled to be working with 5 for the first time on these key tournaments. It’s great news for fans that these events remain free-to-air and they can look forward to seeing exciting new ideas in the coverage.”