TotalSportek Sport on TV Today: Complete UK Guide
Looking for sport on TV today in the UK? Friday 21 August 2026 has live Premier League football, England Test cricket, Formula 1, PDC darts, tennis, golf, rugby league and horse racing across the main UK sports channels.
The biggest evening event is Arsenal v Coventry City as the 2026/27 Premier League season begins. Before that, England face Pakistan at Headingley, the Dutch Grand Prix weekend starts at Zandvoort and the Australian Darts Masters gets under way in Wollongong.
Last updated: Friday 21 August 2026.
Quick Answer
Live sport today starts with the Australian Darts Masters at 10am BST, followed by England v Pakistan from 11am and Dutch Grand Prix practice at 11:30am.
The main evening event is Arsenal v Coventry City at 8pm BST on Sky Sports. Tennis from Cincinnati, PGA Tour golf, the York Ebor Festival and Super League rugby are also live during the day.
All times below are UK times and confirmed listings can still change at short notice.
Sport on TV Today: Friday 21 August 2026
Here are the main live sports broadcasts available to UK viewers today.
| UK time | Event | Sport | UK channel/platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10am | Australian Darts Masters – Day 1 | Darts | ITV4, ITVX |
| 11am | England v Pakistan – 1st Test, Day 3 | Cricket | Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event |
| 11:30am | Dutch Grand Prix – Practice 1 | Formula 1 | Sky Sports F1 |
| 12:30pm | Nexo Championship | Golf | Sky Sports Golf |
| 1pm | Live UK racing | Horse racing | Sky Sports Racing |
| 1:30pm | York Ebor Festival | Horse racing | ITV1, ITVX, STV |
| 3:30pm | Dutch Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying | Formula 1 | Sky Sports F1 |
| 4pm | Cincinnati Open | Tennis | Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports+ |
| 5pm | BMW Championship – Day 2 | Golf | Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports+ |
| 8pm | Arsenal v Coventry City | Premier League | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League |
| 8pm | Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity | Rugby league | Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports+ |
| 8pm | Leigh Leopards v Bradford Bulls | Rugby league | Sky Sports+ |
| 11pm | BMW Championship – later coverage | Golf | Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Main Event |
The table focuses on the main live events rather than repeats, highlights and sports news programmes.
Broadcast schedules can move during the day, so check your television guide before the event starts.
Football on TV Today
The Premier League returns tonight with Arsenal hosting Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST, with coverage starting earlier on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Arsenal v Coventry City
Arsenal v Coventry is the opening fixture of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
It is a notable first night because Arsenal begin the campaign as defending champions, while Coventry arrive in the Premier League as one of the promoted clubs.
The match starts at:
- Kick-off: 8pm BST
- Venue: Emirates Stadium
- Competition: Premier League
- UK TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League
Anyone checking live football matches later in the evening should still use the confirmed broadcast listing for the actual television channel.
The rest of the Premier League opening round continues across Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Cricket on TV Today
England v Pakistan is the main live cricket on UK television today.
It is day three of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds, with play scheduled from 11am BST.
England v Pakistan at Headingley
Sky Sports Cricket carries the Test, with coverage also available on Sky Sports Main Event during the day.
The match began on 19 August and is the first of three Tests between England and Pakistan.
Test cricket can run for up to five days, but a match may finish earlier if a result is reached.
That matters when checking a daily TV schedule. A fifth day may appear in an early television listing even though the match could already be finished by then.
Fans following the wider series can also use the site's cricket coverage for related England and international cricket information.
Formula 1 on TV Today
The Dutch Grand Prix weekend begins at Circuit Zandvoort today.
Sky Sports F1 carries the action in the UK, starting with Practice 1 at 11:30am BST.
Dutch Grand Prix Friday Schedule
Friday is not a normal two-practice-session day because this is a sprint weekend.
The main UK times are:
- 11:30am BST: Practice 1
- 3:30pm BST: Sprint Qualifying
Sprint Qualifying sets the grid for Saturday's sprint rather than Sunday's Grand Prix.
That is an easy detail to miss if a listing simply says “qualifying”.
The sprint takes place on Saturday, followed later by qualifying for the main Grand Prix. Sunday's race is scheduled for 2pm BST.
Darts on TV Today
The Australian Darts Masters starts today at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong.
UK coverage begins at 10am BST on ITV4 and ITVX.
The World Series event runs across Friday and Saturday, with leading PDC players facing Australian and Oceanic opposition.
Because the event starts at 7pm local time in Wollongong, the UK broadcast falls in the morning.
This is exactly why overseas sports listings need a UK time rather than only the time shown at the venue.
Horse Racing on TV Today
Friday at the York Ebor Festival is built around the Nunthorpe Stakes, one of the week's main races.
ITV's live coverage begins at 1:30pm, with racing also available through specialist racing channels.
The York card includes:
- 1:50pm – Sky Bet Mile Handicap
- 2:25pm – Lonsdale Cup
- 3pm – Gimcrack Stakes
- 3:35pm – Nunthorpe Stakes
- 4:10pm – Handicap
The Group 1 Nunthorpe is the day's headline race and is run over five furlongs.
Racing schedules can change because of delays at the course, so later race times should still be treated as planned off-times rather than guarantees.
Tennis on TV Today
The Cincinnati Open continues today on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+.
Coverage is listed from 4pm BST, with the tournament now deep into its closing stages.
The combined ATP and WTA event finishes on Sunday 23 August.
For UK fans, Cincinnati is also an important lead-in to the US Open, which follows shortly afterwards.
Tennis is another sport where a listed start time needs context.
A session may begin at 4pm, but an individual match later on the same court can start much later if earlier matches run long.
Golf on TV Today
There are two notable golf events on Sky Sports today.
The Nexo Championship in Scotland is shown on Sky Sports Golf from 12:30pm BST.
The BMW Championship, part of the PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs, follows later in the day.
Day two coverage is available from around 5pm, with further main coverage late in the evening.
Golf does not work like football, where everyone starts at one kick-off time.
Players have different tee times, so the television start is the beginning of live coverage rather than the start of every player's round.
Rugby League on TV Today
Super League provides two live matches at 8pm BST.
Wigan Warriors face Wakefield Trinity, while Leigh Leopards play Bradford Bulls.
Wigan v Wakefield is available on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports+, while Leigh v Bradford is listed on Sky Sports+.
Having two fixtures at the same time is a good example of why checking the exact Sky channel matters.
“Live on Sky Sports” does not always mean the match is on Sky Sports Main Event.
Which UK Channels Have Live Sport Today?
Today's main sport is spread across Sky Sports and ITV.
Sky Sports
Sky carries most of the day's biggest live events, including:
- England v Pakistan
- Dutch Grand Prix practice and Sprint Qualifying
- Cincinnati Open tennis
- Nexo Championship
- BMW Championship
- Arsenal v Coventry
- Super League rugby
A NOW Sports membership can also provide access to relevant Sky Sports channels, depending on the package.
ITV and ITVX
ITV has two useful free-to-air options today.
The Australian Darts Masters is on ITV4 and ITVX from 10am BST.
ITV1 and ITVX also carry live racing from the York Ebor Festival during the afternoon.
That gives UK viewers legal free live sport without needing a paid sports subscription for those events.
What Is the Biggest Sport on TV Tonight?
Arsenal v Coventry City is the main prime-time UK sports event tonight.
The 8pm BST match opens the new Premier League season and is live on Sky Sports.
Rugby league is competing for the same 8pm slot, while the BMW Championship continues later in the evening.
If you only have time for one major event tonight, the Premier League opener is the clearest headline fixture.
Why Today's TV Schedule Can Change
A daily sports TV page needs to be updated much more often than a normal sports article.
Channels can move an event between Sky Sports Main Event and a dedicated channel. Tennis sessions can run late, cricket can finish early and horse racing can be delayed.
Overseas sport creates another problem.
A broadcaster may publish a local venue time while a UK guide uses BST or GMT. During British summer, the correct UK zone is BST.
That is why this page uses UK times first.
Before an event starts, check:
- The latest start time
- The exact channel
- Whether the event is still live
- Whether the broadcast has moved to another platform
The broader sports section covers individual competitions in more detail, while this page is designed to answer one question quickly: what's on TV today?
Sport on TV Today FAQ
What live football is on TV today?
Arsenal v Coventry City is live in the Premier League tonight.
The match kicks off at 8pm BST at the Emirates Stadium and is shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Is England cricket on TV today?
England v Pakistan is live today from Headingley.
Day three of the first Test starts at 11am BST, with coverage on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event.
Is Formula 1 on TV today?
The Dutch Grand Prix weekend starts today.
Practice 1 begins at 11:30am BST and Sprint Qualifying starts at 3:30pm BST. Both sessions are live on Sky Sports F1.
Is there free live sport on TV today?
Yes. The Australian Darts Masters is available on ITV4 and ITVX from 10am BST.
ITV1 and ITVX also show live racing from the York Ebor Festival during the afternoon.
Sport on TV today gives UK viewers plenty of choice from morning until late at night. England v Pakistan, the Dutch Grand Prix, the Australian Darts Masters and the York Ebor Festival fill the daytime schedule before Arsenal v Coventry opens the Premier League season at 8pm BST.
This page works best as a daily guide, so the date, times, events and channels should be refreshed every morning and checked again when broadcasters make late changes.
