Just looking over the press release for ESPN’s announcement on obtaining the rights to Wimbledon and there are some very interesting features that we will see in this new 12 year agreement that begins next year. For starters, there will be no more live over the air coverage. Wimbledon now becomes an all-cable affair.
Second, as we know by now, NBC is out. The peacock’s association with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ended last Sunday after 43 years. We have NBC to thank for bringing us “Breakfast at Wimbledon”, but the tape delays that have angered fans over the years are no more.
Here are highlights of what you’ll see in the next dozen years of coverage on the ESPN networks.
- ESPN will air the men’s and women’s semifinals and finals live.
- ESPN and ESPN2 will air simultaneous coverage on the second Monday through Wednesday allowing for full coverage of the Round of 16 as well as the men’s and women’s quarterfinals.
- ESPN will produce a taped highlights package for ABC that will air on the middle Sunday or the rest day of the fortnight.
- ABC will air same day coverage of the women’s and men’s finals at 3 p.m. ET.
So this will lead to some innovative coverage and some channel switching in the second week of Wimbledon.
Here’s the press release from ESPN:
ESPN Acquires All Wimbledon Live U.S. TV Rights Including Singles Finals
Twelve-Year Agreement Starting in 2012ESPN has acquired the exclusive U.S. television rights to live action from The Championships, Wimbledon, including both the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Finals, in a 12-year agreement with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club beginning in 2012. Comprehensive coverage from start to finish across a variety of platforms will result in more tennis for fans and all of it live.
ESPN will present Wimbledon on its multimedia array of platforms, including both ESPN and ESPN2 simultaneously the second Monday-Wednesday. This will allow for expanded coverage of the Round of 16 and live telecasts of all quarterfinals. ESPN will televise the semifinals and finals. ESPN on ABC will broadcast a three-hour highlights show on the “middle Sunday” of the tournament, and will reair the finals on a same-day basis at 3 p.m. ET.
In addition to the newly acquired rights, all of ESPN’s existing coverage will continue — television, broadband, mobile, and other rights in the U.S., Latin America and Canada (through 2021). Since 2003, ESPN networks have aired approximately 100 hours annually – with another 650 on ESPN3.com, primarily on weekdays and capped by one Ladies’ and one Gentlemen’s semifinal. Through 2023, the television schedule will increase to more than 140 hours, including full live national coverage of the semifinals and finals. ESPN3.com’s schedule will expand to 750 hours, also with the semifinals and finals presented live.
Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with ESPN, in a move which will consolidate our U.S. media rights under the auspices of a single partner. This new agreement will bring increased live coverage of The Championships and ensure that the huge international audience for Wimbledon can now enjoy all the drama and colour of the Fortnight through a sustained narrative delivered with clarity, continuity and consistency across a wide range of platforms.”
George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN and ABC Sports, said, “We are proud to have been a partner of The All England Club the past nine years and are thrilled to be given continuing responsibility for honoring Wimbledon’s rich tradition. Over the next 12 years, we’ll work closely together to move coverage of this great event forward with live coverage on television and using all the latest technologies and screens.”
ESPN and Wimbledon
Currently, in addition to an already extensive TV schedule, ESPN’s Wimbledon rights include live matches on ESPN3.com (with the semifinals and finals available on delay) (Editor’s note: a concession to the cable and satellite operators), ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Interactive TV, the WatchESPNApp, ESPNNetworks.com and Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, as well as distribution to 30 million homes in Latin America via ESPN International and in Canada via TSN. In addition, ESPN.com has extensive reporting with news, analysis and video from Wimbledon, ESPN The Magazine previews the competition while ESPN Classic shows great matches from the past and ESPN 3D aired its first tennis at this year’s Championships.
I’ll provide more details of the agreement as they become available. In the meantime, tennis fans will certainly have a smorgasbord of live action, something they’ve been craving for a long time.
