2011’s Wimbledon was the 43rd consecutive iteration of the tournament to be broadcast by NBC. But ESPN is poised to acquire the rights to Wimbledon, making 2011 the last year of NBC’s Wimbledon hegemony, according to the SportsBusiness Journal.
ESPN ‘Close’ To Deal For Wimbledon Rights After NBC Contract Expires
SBJ’s John Ourand writes that sources inform him a deal linking ESPN and the third Grand Slam of the year is all but done:
(Sources) tell SportsBusiness Journal that the All England Club has decided to sell its full rights package to ESPN. An announcement could come as soon as this week.ESPN is Wimbledon’s current early rounds broadcast partner, and is looking to bring more premier sports programming to cable. Its deal with the All England Club for rights to the early rounds would be “folded into” this new deal.
NBC was in the final year of a four-year deal with the All England Club. NBC is often criticized by tennis fans for its choices to tape-delay matches, show only a small percentage of its inventory on NBC, and cut away from such non-play activity as trophy presentations.
But that deal, which cost an average of $13 million per year, expired with the end of the 2011 Wimbledon fortnight.
For more on the 2011 Wimbledon tournament and the world of tennis, visit SB Nation’s tennis hub and The Daily Forehand.
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