BBC to celebrate 90 years of broadcasting Wimbledon

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The BBC has announced that it will carry more live action from Wimbledon in 2017 as it celebrates 90 years of broadcasting of the famous Championships.

The corporation’s coverage of The Championships started on radio back in 1927 and a decade later TV viewers were also able to switch on and catch the action.

Fast forward to 2017 and the BBC will provide its usual extensive multi-platform offering for fans which ensures they never miss a minute of the much cherished summer spectacular.

This year, the BBC is extending its coverage even further by broadcasting the main show court from the Wimbledon qualifying tournament live from Roehampton, which will build the excitement ahead of the main event that starts at the All England Club on 3 July.

Sue Barker will once again be at the helm of the BBC’s Wimbledon television coverage on BBC One and BBC Two, presenting daily from the heart of the action at the All England Tennis Club.

A stellar cast of tennis legends will be part of the BBC line-up throughout the fortnight, including John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe and Billie Jean King, with Boris Becker returning to the commentary team this year.

In addition to hosting the live action, Sue Barker, for whom The Championships have been a huge part of her life for 50 years, will be taking an inside look at what Wimbledon means to those who have picked up the coveted trophy in a special BBC One documentary Our Wimbledon.

The BBC will also be celebrating the 90-year anniversary with a number of high-profile Wimbledon shorts across TV, Radio and online in the build-up to The Championships, featuring tennis icons talking about the special place that Wimbledon holds for them.


BBC CELEBRATES 90 YEARS OF WIMBLEDON COVERAGE – 1927-2017

  • New for 2017 – Wimbledon qualifying matches live for the first time
  • Sue Barker leads the TV coverage –  Boris Becker back with BBC team
  • 15 live HD video streams on BBC Sport website and app
  • 100 hours of live coverage on BBC Radio 5 live
  • BBC One to broadcast new Our Wimbledon documentary

As well as the usual TV output, fans will again have the chance to capture even more of the action at Wimbledon with BBC Sport’s extensive digital offering.

Ahead of the tournament a dedicated page on the BBC Sport website and app will bring live action from Roehampton as Wimbledon qualifying matches are broadcast live for the first time.

Then as the main event begins the BBC Sport Website will be home to 15 live HD video streams which will provide text commentary and audience interaction in one place throughout the tournament.

The streams will offer rolling highlights, in-depth pundit analysis, info-graphics and live votes, with six of these video streams also available on BBC Red Button.

In addition, BBC Two will be the home of the nightly highlights programme, Today at Wimbledon, presented by Clare Balding live from the open air studio by The Hill, where viewers will get the usual lowdown on the events of the day’s play and expert analysis.

BBC Radio 5 live will be live from the All England Tennis Club throughout The Championships bringing colour, commentary and compelling content to listeners every day.

Charismatic former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe will once again return to host 6-love-6 as he takes calls from listeners and is joined by guests for a lively take on the tournament so far.

Commenting on the BBC’s plans for its 90th Wimbledon Championships, Director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater said:

“We are very proud to be celebrating such a long-standing broadcasting relationship with the All England Tennis Club. Over the 90 years we have been able to capture so many of Wimbledon’s greatest moments, from those early days of radio commentary to the unprecedented access to the event that we have available now.

“We are delighted this year to be able to offer tennis fans even more live action by adding qualifying matches at Roehampton to our already extensive offering.”

As well as the BBC’s free-to-air coverage, Eurosport will also broadcast daily action from Wimbledon 2017, including nightly highlights at 10pm, presented by Rob Curling, and live coverage of both singles finals.


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