The Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony was taking place in Glasgow on Thursday night with coverage broadcast live by Channel 520:41, 23 Jul 2026The summer's latest sporting spectacle has just been launched.‌Sports fans have had plenty to enjoy during the last few weeks including some epic tennis matches from Wimbledon and then plenty of thrills and controversy from the football World Cup.‌Now they can see some of the greatest athletes competing as part of the Commonwealth Games. Taking place in Glasgow after the original host city, Victoria in Australia, withdrew owing to costs, they are the fourth Commonwealth Games to be hosted in Scotland.‌The global event kicked off on Thursday, July 23 with a glittering Opening Ceremony, which was broadcast live on Channel 5. The curtain-raising bash at the OVO Hydro promised to celebrate the city’s culture, humour and identity and included local musical headliners KT Tunstall, Nathan Evans and Callum Beattie.The programme opened with a video sketch featuring Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy travelling in the Doctor Who Tardis as he attempted to reach Balmoral Castle to collect the King and Queen and take them to the event. The clip them switched to inside the closed-roof stadium where a smiling Chris stepped out oif a Tardis followed by the King and Queen.‌The athletes from the different nations then started their parade into the stadium. But as the parade began, the programme was interrupted for the first commercial break, much to the annoyance of viewers. They were soon taking to social media platform X - formerly Twitter - to have their say.One said: "@channel5_tv how disgraceful that you have an advert in the middle of the athletes coming in at the opening ceremony for the commonwealth games!!!!"‌A second posted: "@channel5_tv absolutely shocking stopping for so many adverts during the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony from Glasgow, it would have been a different story if it had been Manchester or London."Another commented: "Adverts during @channel5_tv coverage of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games - I'm off to BBC Alba where I might not speak Gaelic but at least I'm not going to miss anything! Some of us care about the countries that you skipped."A fourth said: "Commonwealth Games, and 12 minutes into the broadcast you show nearly FIVE minutes of adverts! I doubt it will be the last either. Can't you even show an important ceremony like this uninterrupted? disgraceful."‌While another viewer said: "Commonwealth Games on Channel 5 and they’ve all ready disrespected the competition by cutting to adverts in the middle of the countries getting introduced."But others were clearly enjoying the coverage with one commenting on the opening clip: "Now this is how you arrive to the Commonwealth games."‌Another said: "Watching the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on Channel 5. Fair play to Scotland for being able to turn this round so quickly after the Australians/Victorians pulled out."Victoria was initially announced as the host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in April 2022 but in July 2023 the Victorian state government cancelled its plans due to escalating cost projections.In September 2024, it was announced that the Scottish Government had agreed to host the games with financial backing from Commonwealth Games Australia. The scaled-down and low-cost Games will feature 10 sports taking place over seven venues and no athletes' villageArticle continues belowCornish artist Bonnie Steward created Team England's Baton featured in the Opening Ceremony from rubbish collected on beaches, riverbanks and in towns in the hope of highlighting the growing threat of ocean plastic.