Glasgow 2026 opens with AAMI, Harvey Norman and Woolworths anchoring Seven's ten-day sport blitz

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are under way, with the Glasgow opening ceremony screening on Seven from 4:45am AEST this morning and ten days of competition to follow. Seven's coverage is live, free and exclusive to its platforms, and the network confirmed its commercial line-up ahead of the opening: AAMI, Harvey Norman, Woolworths, Hancock Prospecting and Kidman as principal sponsors, joined by Chemist Warehouse and BUPA as major integrated brands.

Glasgow 2026 brings together 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories across 133 sessions of sport, with 215 gold medals on offer across 10 sports including six Para sports. Seven will broadcast in prime time from 7pm nightly with live coverage running through to 7:30am, and projects its TV and 7plus Sport coverage will reach more than 12 million Australians. The streaming offer is built around 15 channels of live content plus eight FAST replay channels covering swimming, athletics, track cycling, gymnastics and other sports, alongside a curated Glasgow Glory highlights channel. SCA's Triple M will simulcast Seven's broadcast from 10pm to 5am, with breakfast updates across the Triple M and Hit networks.

Seven's national television sales director Katie Finney said exclusivity was the pitch. "What sets Glasgow 2026 apart is that this event is exclusive to our platforms, where our partners have the opportunity to capture the full breadth of audience across broadcast, audio, extensive live and on-demand content," she said. "Locking in partners of this calibre for Glasgow 2026 reflects the confidence brands have in live sport as a marketing investment right now."

AAMI is running an integration built on its Sideline Champions platform. Executive general manager, brand and customer experience, Mim Haysom said the brand would "shine a light on the parents, family members, friends, coaches and supporters" behind each athlete. For Seven, the Games open a second-half run the network is calling its wall of sport, leading into the AFL Finals Series, the Rugby League World Cup, Test cricket against Bangladesh and New Zealand, the Big Bash League and the Bathurst 1000.

Why it matters for Australian advertisers: this is the largest exclusive live-sport audience opportunity on Australian television this half, and the sponsor list shows where big brand money is sitting in 2026, in insurance, retail, grocery, pharmacy and health insurance rather than tech or autos. The all-hours schedule also matters. With finals landing in Australian breakfast hours and prime-time replays at night, buyers get two distinct dayparts from one property, plus FAST channels that extend inventory beyond the live window. The open question is whether Commonwealth Games audiences still justify blue-chip pricing, and Seven's 12 million reach projection will be tested against OzTAM data within days.

Worth noting for balance: the 12 million-plus reach figure is Seven's own projection, not a measured result, and no financial terms for any sponsorship have been disclosed. Recent Commonwealth Games have faced questions about long-term relevance and host-city withdrawals, context that sits behind any audience forecast.

Sources: mediaweek.com.au (23 July 2026, updated 24 July)