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Arab News
12-08-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
‘Unique atmosphere': Ronnie O'Sullivan happy to be back at Masters Snooker Championship in Jeddah
JEDDAH: Ronnie O'Sullivan is excited to be back in the Kingdom for the Masters Snooker Championship in Jeddah. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport 'I love being here in Saudi Arabia at the Snooker Masters and enjoying its unique atmosphere,' he said on Monday of the contest which began on Aug. 8 and ends on Saturday. 'Saudi Arabia has set a wonderful example in hosting international tournaments. From the moment you arrive, you feel the grandeur of the tournament and the wonderful experience,' he added. The organizing committee of the championship held a press conference on Monday attended by Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation President Naif Al-Jaweini, World Snooker Tour Chairman Steve Dawson, and Saudi Arabia's female referee Najla Al-Nuaimi. Al-Jaweini lauded the Ministry of Sports' role in the event, including the partnership with Matchroom and the WST. 'We are still at the beginning of the road, and in the coming years we will achieve many accomplishments to develop the level of players and referees, and we are pleased to welcome the world's elite players to this prestigious tournament,' said Al-Jaweini. The WST's Dawson said: 'The professional organization in Saudi Arabia is on par with the largest international tournaments.' He added that Saudi Arabia's decision to host the event for 10 years would 'contribute to the development of the game and building a base of talent, players, and referees capable of competing in the world rankings.' Al-Naimi said: 'I am proud to represent Saudi Arabia in the field of refereeing, and I hope to see more Saudi women in this field of this distinguished sport. 'The tournament has given me a wealth of experience by rubbing shoulders with the best referees in the world.' Defending champion Judd Trump also had praise for the Kingdom's organization. 'Since the first edition, the attendance and interest have been evident, leaving us with many beautiful memories. It would be great to play against a Saudi player in the future, and perhaps see one of them become a world champion.'
Arab News
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters set to begin in Jeddah
JEDDAH: The 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters begins on Aug. 8 at the Green Halls in Jeddah and boasts the participation of 128 World Snooker Tour players. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Joined by 16 wild cards from Saudi Arabia, the international field will be competing for a prize fund in excess of £2 million, making it the second-richest tournament on the 2025 WST. It concludes on Aug. 16. Steve Dawson, WST's chairman, said: 'We are excited to stage the event in Jeddah for the first time and to bring the all-time greatest players to new fans. 'Our expansion into Saudi Arabia is a huge step forward for snooker and a key element in our strategy to develop our sport globally. We are working closely with our partners in the region on the ambition to develop our sport at all levels, from the elite major events to grassroots participation. In years to come we would love to see professional players and even tournament winners from Saudi Arabia.' Judd Trump won the first edition of the event last year in Riyadh, beating Mark Williams 10-9 in the final.
The Sun
25-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Huge boost for snooker fans as free-to-air channel snaps up rights to broadcast major events for first time ever
A NEW TV deal has ensured three major ranking snooker tournaments will remain on free-to-air TV. The British Open, Players Championship and Tour Championship will all be broadcast live on 5 next season. 1 The WST has penned the "pioneering agreement" with the terrestrial channel. It will see all three tournaments broadcast on 5 from 2026. Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5 and Paramount UK commented: "We are delighted to bring the World Snooker Tour to 5. "The Tour Championship, Players Championship and British Open are top ranking tournaments featuring the world's best players and making them available to view on free-to-air TV continues our mission to keep elite live sport accessible for fans across the UK." WST Chairman Steve Dawson added: "We are delighted to be working with 5 for the first time and to add a new broadcaster to our tour. "Snooker has a long history of providing fans with free-to-air events with extensive live coverage so this is fantastic news for everyone who follows our sport. "The Players Championship and Tour Championship are elite events contested only by the best of the best. "Players are striving all season to climb the one year list and earn a place in these prestigious tournaments. "And from 2026, 5 will also broadcast the British Open which is a historic event with its own unique identity including a random draw. "We look forward to working with the 5 team on these events and ensuring that an outstanding product is delivered to snooker's consistently huge audience. "Our sport had incredible viewing figures throughout last season and we expect to see that trend continue as we grow across the world." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Irish Sun
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Huge boost for snooker fans as free-to-air channel snaps up rights to broadcast major events for first time ever
A NEW TV deal has ensured three major ranking snooker tournaments will remain on free-to-air TV. The British Open, Players Championship and Tour Championship will all be broadcast live on 5 next season. Advertisement 1 Three major snooker ranking events are staying on free-to-air TV Credit: Getty The WST has penned the "pioneering agreement" with the terrestrial channel. It will see all three tournaments broadcast on 5 from 2026. Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5 and Paramount UK commented: "We are delighted to bring the World Snooker Tour to 5. "The Tour Championship, Players Championship and British Open are top ranking tournaments featuring the world's best players and making them available to view on free-to-air TV continues our mission to keep elite live sport accessible for fans across the UK." Advertisement READ MORE ON SNOOKER WST Chairman Steve Dawson added: "We are delighted to be working with 5 for the first time and to add a new broadcaster to our tour. "Snooker has a long history of providing fans with free-to-air events with extensive live coverage so this is fantastic news for everyone who follows our sport. "The Players Championship and Tour Championship are elite events contested only by the best of the best. "Players are striving all season to climb the one year list and earn a place in these prestigious tournaments. Advertisement Most read in Snooker Exclusive Exclusive "And from 2026, 5 will also broadcast the British Open which is a historic event with its own unique identity including a random draw. "We look forward to working with the 5 team on these events and ensuring that an outstanding product is delivered to snooker's consistently huge audience. "Our sport had incredible viewing figures throughout last season and we expect to see that trend continue as we grow across the world." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. Advertisement The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at
Metro
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Three major World Snooker Tour events move to new TV channel
The Players Championship, Tour Championship and British Open will move to Channel 5 in 2026. The three tournaments have been shown on ITV4 in recent seasons but will change broadcaster next year. The change sees this season's Players Championship (Feb 16-22) and Tour Championship (Mar 30 – Apr 5) make the switch. The British Open will move to Channel 5 in 2026, but this season's edition runs from 22-28 September, before the switch. The broadcasting team of presenters, pundits and commentators have not been confirmed as yet, as Channel 5 show ranking events for the first time. WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: 'We are delighted to be working with 5 for the first time and to add a new broadcaster to our tour. Snooker has a long history of providing fans with free-to-air events with extensive live coverage so this is fantastic news for everyone who follows our sport. 'The Players Championship and Tour Championship are elite events contested only by the best of the best. Players are striving all season to climb the one year list and earn a place in these prestigious tournaments. 'And from 2026, 5 will also broadcast the British Open which is a historic event with its own unique identity including a random draw.' Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn was asked about the upcoming shake-up in broadcasting deals for World Snooker Tour events at this year's World Championship. 'There's going to be a mixture of broadcasters because quite honestly, broadcasters like snooker,' he said at the Crucible. 'It's delivering ratings. 'We live in a numbers game. ITV4 has been fantastically successful for us in the numbers it's got. 'So, obviously some of the other stations want snooker. And I think in the next couple of weeks we will lay out the deals that we've done. More Trending 'It's going to involve a multiple number of broadcasters. Some free-to-air, some behind the pay-model. But it's a compliment to where snooker is that it's in demand. 'We need to be more encouraging to the younger market, which involves talking to them in the language that they understand and the medium that they understand. And that's why the world is becoming more digital. The future is more Netflix than free-to-air. 'People will be able to watch what they want to watch, the sports they want to watch, when they want to watch it and for a price they can afford. I find that really exciting.' MORE: 10 storylines of the new snooker season as the 2025-26 campaign begins MORE: Anthony Hamilton names snooker star's transformation as 'most impressive thing I've seen' MORE: Ronnie O'Sullivan faces World Snooker Championship nightmare ahead of new season
