GLASGOW 2014 Ltd have blamed spiralling broadcasting costs for an £81m increase in the 2014 Commonwealth Games budget.

The Games organising committee have admitted the funding would now rise to £454m with the Scottish government taking the majority of the excess, contributing an extra £59m.

Meanwhile, the city council will be charged with providing an extra £9m and the remaining £13m hoped to be raised through commercial activities.

Listed as B event by the government, highlights of the event must be shown on free-to-air television with the BBC thought to be the only interested party.

And organising committee chairman Lord Smith pointed to the failure to sell the domestic rights to the BBC and the advances in broadcasting technology as the reasons for the dramatic rise in cost.

"In the past, hosts have balanced the broadcasting costs against the income from selling the domestic rights,” said Lord Smith.

"So far we haven’t been able to engage the BBC on this basis and as the Commonwealth Games are classed as a B list event, we’re not particularly optimistic about attracting a different domestic broadcaster.

"Other free-to-air broadcasters see the Commonwealth Games as a BBC event.

"We don’t want to be in the position where the budget keeps creeping up and up between now and 2014, so we’re trying to be as realistic as possible.”