ESPN Takes Over US TV Coverage of Wimbledon in 2012
ESPN has been covering tennis tournaments for decades and has had the cable rights to Wimbledon since 2003. However, it was recently announced that starting in 2012 ESPN will be THE TV network covering Wimbledon for American tennis fans including the semis and
finals. ESPN inked a twelve year deal with The All England Club and after 43 years, NBC will no longer be televising Wimbledon. According to news reports, ESPN will pay $40 annually, which is much more than the $10 ESPN had paid for the cable rights and the $13 million paid by NBC. Clearly, Wimbledon is in demand enough to warrant those figures which is good news for the tennis world.
There have been complaints for years about some of the taped coverage and important matches that weren’t televised because of NBC’s programming schedule. Therefore, one assumes that tennis fans will be able to see even more (live) tennis through ESPN’s multi-channel, i.e. ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and multi-platform, i.e. ESPN3 and mobile, programming. In the end, sports coverage is all about “live” and giving fans what they want through all available “channels”. ESPN, which has been the premiere tennis broadcaster in the United States for decades, is uniquely positioned to serve the tennis audience.
There have been complaints for years about some of the taped coverage and important matches that weren’t televised because of NBC’s programming schedule. Therefore, one assumes that tennis fans will be able to see even more (live) tennis through ESPN’s multi-channel, i.e. ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and multi-platform, i.e. ESPN3 and mobile, programming. In the end, sports coverage is all about “live” and giving fans what they want through all available “channels”. ESPN, which has been the premiere tennis broadcaster in the United States for decades, is uniquely positioned to serve the tennis audience.
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