More than 18 million people sat glued to their television sets in late April 1985 when the snooker World Championship match between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor reached its 35th and deciding frame. The action came to an end at 12:35 a.m. when Taylor potted the black to claim his first and only world title, and its television audience set records for both BBC Sports and BBC2.
The major snooker tournaments draw far smaller television audiences today, but that is not because the game has become less popular. Millions of people play snooker and enjoy watching the best in the world compete for the sport’s biggest prizes, but they can now leave their sofas and watch the action on streaming platforms.
Mainstream professional snooker offers inspiration to amateur and junior snooker players.
Major Snooker Championships Around the World
There are hundreds of tournaments held each year around the world, but only three of them are considered “majors.” Tennis has Wimbledon and the US, French and Australian Opens, and snooker has the World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters.
These tournaments were officially named the Triple Crown Series in January 2020.
The World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is snooker’s most prestigious and longest-running tournament. It is held each April at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and over £2 million in prize money will be up for grabs when the 2023 tournament gets underway.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has won six world championships and made two maximum breaks in the competition, but this tournament will always be best remembered for Davis and Taylor’s epic duel.
The UK Championship
The UK Championship is another one of snooker’s Triple Crown tournaments. The tournament is usually held in the Barbican Centre in York in November, and it is known for nail-biting finals.
Alex Higgins found himself seven frames down before coming back to beat Steve Davis in 1982, and John Higgins scored 29 points when only 27 points remained on the table to win the title in 2010.
There was a time when only British passport holders could compete in the UK Championship, but that rule was rescinded in 1984.
The Masters
Unlike the World and UK Championships, the Masters is not a ranking event. However, it is an extremely prestigious title as only the best players in the world are invited to take part. Only the world’s 10 best players competed when the tournament was first held in 1975, but now the top 16 players get an invitation.
Venues that have hosted the Masters include the New London Theatre, the Wembley Conference Centre and the Wembley Arena, but the tournament is now held at the Alexandra Palace each January.
Where to Stream Snooker Championships Online
UK
The BBC has secured the rights to air the three Triple Crown tournaments until at least 2027, so TV licence holders in the UK can watch the World Snooker Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters on the BBC iPlayer.
All three tournaments are also sponsored by the British online car retailer Cazoo, which has streaming agreements in place with matchroom.live and Eurosport Player.
Outside the UK
If one of these tournaments takes place while you are outside the UK, you will still be able to see all of the action even if you use a streaming service like the BBC iPlayer that requires a British IP address. All you have to do is connect to a virtual private network with a UK server. All of the major VPNs including ExpressVPN (reviewed here) and NordVPN offer this service.