Wimbledon tennis finals to be shown on new TV channel after 88 years of BBC coverage
THE Wimbledon singles finals will be shown live on a BBC rival giving the broadcaster a unique claim.
Eurosport have landed a five-year deal that also includes a daily 90-minute package of tennis highlights from SW19.
The company is now boasting its the “only channel in the UK to show live coverage of all four of the sport’s major singles prizes”.
That means Wimbledon, plus the French Open, US Open and Australian Open.
However, the Beeb will remain Wimbledon’s main domestic broadcaster after its 88 years of coverage.
The BBC and Eurosport arrangements are both with the All England Lawn Tennis Cub (AELTC).
Ofcom Listed Events regulations allow for “secondary broadcasters” at major sporting tournaments.
And that’s the status Eurosport is taking at Wimbledon.
Susanna Dinnage, MD of Discovery Networks UK and Ireland said the new deal “cements” Eurosport’s “position as
Former Sky Sports presenter Rob Curling will host the channel’s nightly highlights from 10pm.
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This year’s Wimbledon runs from Monday June 30 to Sunday July 13.
Britain’s two-time SW19 king Andy Murray could return as a Beeb pundit, having ended a six-month stint coaching Novak Djokovic.
The grass-court tournament retains pride of place in the BBC’s sporting armoury.
But it costs the Beeb around £60million a year for the privilege.