More Proms on TV this summer than originally planned. Or is it the same? Or is it less? Get the full list here.

News today that the BBC will be broadcasting 27 Proms programmes this summer, three more than was originally advertised in the April 2026 launch. Good news? Arguably.

The BBC’s April launch release promised 24 Proms on TV this summer. Its 15 July TV-specific release lists 27. Private Eye, in between, reported the figure had been ‘quietly’ cut to 19 — four programmes lost to budget reductions under the new director-general, a fifth to a scheduling dispute with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Curiously, neither Berlin Philharmonic concert was listed in the brochure at the April launch as a recording for broadcast.

Its growth of some kind, some of which could be said to come at a cheaper price than normal. Of the 27 titles, four are flagged “archive” or “includes archive”, and three more are billed as “Best of” or “Unmissable Moments” compilations — repackaged, not newly filmed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: it’s a low-cost way to keep archive performances in front of viewers who’d otherwise never see them. But it does mean the 24-to-27 story isn’t quite as straightforward as it might at first seem. The pearl clutchers may well be up in arms. Expect some correspondence to pop up in the national press soon.

This piece was published on receipt of the BBC’s press release. In response to a query, the BBC clarified that the increase was from 24 TV broadcasts to 27.