The BBC could be at risk of losing its Wimbledon coverage for good, according to one television icon. For the first time ever, the 2025 final was broadcast on a non-terrestrial television channel, with TNT Sports having acquired the rights for the men’s and women’s showpiece events.
The Beeb still aired the finals on their own channels, but it comes amid an uncertain time for the organisation, with talk that they might be ousted as the Championships’ main broadcaster. And according to former television host Des Lynam, the BBC may have to introduce a radical change to their operating methods, or risk losing Wimbledon for good.
Writing in his Telegraph column, the ex-Match of the Day host urged his former employers to introduce a pay-per-view channel as a method to fend off the likes of TNT Sports and rival broadcasters. He said: “The sports department continues a constant battle to hang on to the contracts it has, the relationship with Wimbledon will be in jeopardy as the competition continues to show ambitions in that direction. The only way to compete is to find the money to do so.
“Unless the BBC is content to cover only minor sports they will have to get out into the marketplace. To do this, the kind of money involved means the funding must come from a source other than the licence fee and that means pay-per-view. Whenever a major sport leaves the BBC it is usually with regret.
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“They know how valuable it is to be a BBC product. If there is someone at the corporation who agrees with me and has the courage to fight for that cause I mentioned, get ready to summon up the blood, disguise fair nature and prepare for the incoming rage.”
It comes after reports that a rival broadcaster could table a comprehensive bid to snatch the Wimbledon coverage off the BBC’s hands in the coming years. TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, have already landed a blow on the BBC by slashing its Olympic Games coverage and there is talk they, or another broadcaster, could do the same with Wimbledon.
TNT made their first big move into tennis earlier this year when they broadcast the French Open, while Sky Sports have made a similar splash by securing a five-year deal for exclusive rights to the ATP and WTA Tours. Sky will also show the US Open later this year when it gets underway in the States.