UK public broadcaster the BBC will continue to provide domestic coverage of the Wimbledon Championships grand slam tennis tournament after renewing its exclusive rights agreement for another six years.
The renewal, struck with tournament organizer the All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), will see Wimbledon remain free-to-air across the UK through 2033, with coverage distributed through the broadcaster’s linear, radio, and digital platforms.
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Specifically, the BBC said it will provide comprehensive live coverage across BBC TV linear channels, the BBC iPlayer streaming service, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, and the BBC Sports website and app, as well as across BBC Sport’s various social channels.
The BBC’s current broadcast contract with the AELTC was signed in 2021 and runs through 2027.
Alex Kay-Jelski, BBC’s director of sport, said: “Wimbledon holds a truly special place in the hearts of audiences across the UK and this new agreement means we can continue our longstanding and deeply valued partnership with the All England Club well into the next decade.
"This is about celebrating one of the world's greatest sporting events while continuing to evolve how we bring it to audiences.
"With new technology, fresh storytelling, new voices and innovative ways to connect with fans across television, radio, online and social media, we are excited to build the future of Wimbledon coverage together and bring audiences even closer to the Championships than ever before."
The new deal extends one of the longest broadcast partnerships in sport, with next year’s edition to mark 100 years since the BBC first aired the tournament in 1927.
It also comes days before the start of the 2026 edition on Monday (June 29).
The BBC’s coverage of last year’s tournament generated 69.3 million online requests across BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, which broke the previous record of 54.3 million set in 2023.
Deborah Jevans CBE, chair of the AELTC, said: “For nearly a century, we have worked together to bring the magic of Wimbledon to generations of fans in the UK.
“This agreement reflects our absolute commitment to ensuring Wimbledon remains freely available to the widest possible audience across the nation, enabled by the breadth and reach of the BBC’s platforms, and their clear and continued ambition to enhance the audience experience.”
The new deal comes just over a week after the AELTC announced it had renewed its exclusive rights agreement with international sports broadcaster BeIN Sports covering 24 territories in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The territories covered include Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen.
The broadcaster also holds the rights to Wimbledon in France in a deal running until 2028, having held the contract since 2014.
Earlier this year, Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Network also struck a renewal for exclusive rights to the Wimbledon Championships through 2029 in a three-year deal that will see the broadcaster continue to provide live and highlights coverage across its 9Network linear channel, 9Now streaming service, and Stan Sports platform.
Nine has held rights to Wimbledon since the 2021 edition, replacing pay-television operator Foxtel and commercial broadcaster Seven, which provided free-to-air coverage of the tournament.
The broadcaster is the home of all four grand slams, holding the rights to the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open.
In the US, meanwhile, Disney-owned sports broadcaster ESPN holds the rights to air the tournament in a 12-year deal running through 2035.
The AELTC’s new deal with the BBC was announced a day after it was announced that leading tennis players will expand their prize money protest at Wimbledon despite a 20% increase in this year’s pot.
The move comes after some players limited their pre-tournament media appearances to 15 minutes at this year’s French Open, which was played between May 18 and June 7.
As part of new measures, the players said, along with limiting their time at the upcoming pre-tournament media weekend, they will also restrict post-match appearances to 15 minutes throughout the first week of the tournament.
The 15-minutes represents the 15% of revenue which the Grand Slams allocate to prize money, which the players want increased.
The move comes despite players welcoming the announcement that Wimbledon had increased this year’s prize pot by 20% to £64.2 million earlier this month – the latest annual rise in the event’s history.
For this year’s edition, singles’ champions will earn £3.6 million each, while first-round losers will take home £80,000.
Responding to the action, the AELTC said in a statement: “Wimbledon puts the players at the heart of all our decisions, and we invest significantly in them every year.
“This is alongside investing hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world-class player performance environment."
