Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or as Real Madrid TV cuts ceremony coverage

Real Madrid’s television channel stopped broadcasting the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony shortly after Harry Kane was announced as the winner, ending its coverage before the event had concluded.

The ceremony took place at the London Palladium on Monday evening, with Kane beating Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe to the award. The decision by the club’s channel to halt its live coverage immediately after the announcement attracted considerable attention.

Spanish newspaper Sport reported that Real Madrid TV ended the broadcast soon after Kane’s victory was confirmed. A message appeared on screen saying the content was unavailable because of audiovisual broadcasting rights, but the timing of the interruption prompted questions among viewers.

Kane was rewarded after an outstanding season in which he scored 73 goals in 65 matches. Of those, 61 came for Bayern Munich, helping the England striker finish ahead of his rivals and claim the most prestigious individual prize in football.

Mbappe finished second in the voting, while Spain and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was also among the leading players. Yamal won the award for the best young player for a third consecutive year.

Some observers had believed Mbappe could win the Ballon d’Or, despite debate over whether he deserved to take the prize. That uncertainty was partly linked to his failure to win a team trophy during the previous season, while his goalscoring total was not the highest among the leading contenders.

Real Madrid TV is one of the main platforms through which the club communicates its views. In recent months, the channel has also been associated with video clips criticising refereeing performances.

Those broadcasts have drawn objections from other clubs, which argued that the material placed pressure on referees before matches. Real Madrid has not been punished over the clips.