Is Reading and Leeds Festival highlights on TV in 2023? How to watch festival on BBC - is it on iPlayer

Reading and Leeds Festival have come to an end for yet another year but if you were unable to go - you might be wondering if you can catch the best bits.

If you are stayed at home in 2023 you might be worried that you missed out on the action - with an incredible lineup for both the north and south sites. The Killers, Billie Eilish, Sam Fender, Foals, Imagine Dragons and the 1975 are among the big names set to perform.

However BBC will once again be providing coverage from the festival this year. But what can you watch on TV, what is on iPlayer and can you listen on BBC Sounds?

Here's all you need to know:

Can you watch Reading and Leeds Festival on TV?

BBC will once again be providing coverage from the festivals in 2023. The Killers headline set will be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday (27 August) from 11.40pm until 12.45am - the set will air after the band have performed.

However if you are wanting to catch more of the action from the festival, BBC iPlayer will have a non-stop 24/7 Reading and Leeds Festival channel from Monday, 21 August until Sunday, 27 August.

How to watch festival's biggest moments on BBC iPlayer?

The non-stop Reading and Leeds Festival channel will return to BBC iPlayer for 2023. It will be running from Monday, 21 August until Sunday, 27 August.

In the build up to the start of the festival, the iPlayer channel will feature archive performances from over the years, which will be running 24/7, so you can watch it at any time to get you in the festival zone.

During Reading and Leeds Festival itself, the BBC has confirmed that you can watch all three days streamed live on iPlayer, so you don't miss a moment of the festival as it happens.

But if you are busy and unable to watch your favourites over the weekend, selected full sets and must-watch tracks will be available on demand. BBC iPlayer will also feature a Reading Highlights channel from Monday, 28 August which will feature back-to-back performances from the event.

Why BBC doesn't show all the artists and performances from the festival?

If you are tuning in this weekend hoping to catch your favourite act's set from Reading and Leeds Fest be warned that in some situations, the BBC may not show every single performance throughout the weekend.

On its website, the Beeb explains: "We've all been there, you can't wait to watch your favourite artist's latest festival performance, you grab your phone or tablet or hit the red button get settled and... it's not there. It's confusing and it can be frustrating. Here are some of the reasons why that can happen:

"When the BBC covers a music festival or event, it needs to work within a tight budget to provide the best value for money for Licence Fee payers. This means we cannot always record all performances from every stage or from multiple sites.

"On occasion an act may not wish to be filmed or recorded. Artists may also agree to be recorded but only allow a limited number of songs to be aired. This could be for a number of reasons for instance: the quality of some parts of the performance, because they do not wish to broadcast new or unreleased material, or they do not want to broadcast their entire live set.

"The material an artist plays may not agree with the BBC Taste & Decency guidelines, such as containing excessive swearing. In these instances there is no way for the BBC to air that material."

BBC Radio 1 will be live from Reading Festival

The Beeb have confirmed that Radio 1 will be live on the ground from Reading Festival in 2023. You can join your favourite presenters, DJs and loads more as they bring you all the exclusive action.

Fans can expect "live music, guests, and all the fun from the festival".

Can you listen to festival on BBC Sounds?

Available now, you can check out Back To Back Reading & Leeds on BBC Sounds for non-stop festival build up! It features all sorts of programmes to get you in the mood for this year's event, with Artist Icons series featuring Billie Eilish and The Killers, archive shows featuring live performances from previous years, and a special line up mix from Radio 1!

After the festival, selected performances from this year will be added to the collection so you can listen to your heart's content.