Anyone who claims the Commonwealth Games mean nothing should speak to the crowd that gathered outside my hotel at 1am on Friday.‘Let’s go to Maccies!’ bellowed a late-night reveller. I looked out the window and it was Emily Campbell, hours after winning gold in the weightlifting, leading a group of athletes and supporters on a night out in Glasgow.One of the best things about these games, not by design, is how close the locals have been able to get to the competitors. One cost-cutting decision was to sacrifice the athletes’ village, meaning competitors have been scattered in hotels across the city.It has been impossible to miss the tracksuits of 74 different nations that have descended upon Scotland for the past 11 days of competition. The fans have never felt closer.Josh Kerr went for a jog along the river before winning gold in the mile. Duncan Scott fuelled up for the pool with a hefty breakfast at a cafe on Wilson Street. Even Adam Ramsay-Peaty had to catch the bus.One downside of these games has been the lack of visibility to the casual sports fan. For the first time in 72 years, the BBC pulled out as the official broadcaster. TNT Sports has provided comprehensive coverage but the events have not cut through to the UK’s mainstream audience. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games have been a huge success over the past week-and-a-half The absence of household names like Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson is a blow thoughGiven the absence of household names such as Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, this competition does not have the clout to pull in subscribers. Joe Public will not go out of his way to find the bowls or an obscure judo bout.How many people would have tuned in to watch Matt Weston win his Winter Olympics gold medals in Italy, if the skeleton had not been broadcast live on the BBC? Not many.These Games have been packed with feel-good stories. They have offered the perfect antidote to the grubby boardroom battles at FIFA HQ, where Gianni Infantino has been trying to make a quick buck from selling the World Cup to the highest bidder.With more exposure, the likes of Cyrille Tchatchet would have been front of the queue to sit on the One Show sofa this week. He overcame homelessness to win weightlifting silver for England, but will now return to the gym to train in relative obscurity.This event is ripe for free-to-air TV — particularly if most of the superstars stay away — and a new UK broadcast arrangement must be top of the agenda for the 2030 edition in India.‘The BBC has been a fantastic partner for a very long period, and we do have a relationship with them for this games,’ said Katie Sadleir, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Games Federation. ‘We are doing BBC Radio, so they are involved.‘We are thrilled with TNT and Warner Bros. Discovery [TNT’s parent company]. For £4.99 for 600 hours compared to 200 hours in Birmingham [who hosted the Games in 2022], we are very pleased with that relationship.‘We are moving towards a much wider feel about how people consume the games. I look after the Commonwealth movement of 74 countries, and it is my responsibility to look globally in terms of viewership.‘It’s a process we will work through with the organising committee in terms of who the broadcaster is for 2030. The BBC will definitely be part of that mix.’This event was almost abandoned when Victoria pulled out as hosts three years ago.Australia’s richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has been offering cash bonuses for her country’s podium finishers, ensuring they arrived with a packed squad and walked away on top of the medal count. Channel 7’s coverage reached 11.39 million in Down Under. Australia’s credibility will be damaged if they bid for future sporting events. Perhaps Rinehart should have stepped in sooner?But Glasgow saved the day. Yes, there have been some empty seats, but the big-ticket events have sold out. They have not spent taxpayer money and their fit-for-purpose model could provide a blueprint for hosting events during days of economic uncertainty. The athletes are closer to stars than ever before and there has been a buzz around the city (pictured – Scotland’s Josh after winning the Men’s One Mile final) After uncertainty about the event, Glasgow saved the day and proved to be brilliant hostsIndia have promised to supersize things for Ahmedabad 2030. They hope to sell out the world’s largest stadium and use the event to showcase their credentials as Olympic hosts.Proposals have been made to turn the Commonwealths into a qualifying event for World Championships. But unless the Games can lure back all of the biggest names of track and field, the Glasgow model — backed up by terrestrial TV — may well be the future.For now, it looks more like a launchpad for young Olympic hopefuls. Filip Nowacki and Amalie Smith have emerged as Team GB prospects in the pool, Henry Hobbs won gold on the bike and Emily Newnham showed promise on the track.‘It’s an incredible opportunity for a lot of athletes,’ said Ramsay-Peaty. ‘It is a stepping stone to give a platform two years out from an Olympics. That’s why we have got to nurture it.’The games have been reset and reimagined. The Glaswegian hosts have cut their cloth and done so with a smile.‘People are talking about these Games on the streets,’ added Sadleir. ‘Everyone is going away buzzed about what happened and what they think the future is for the Commonwealth Sport movement.’