All England Lawn Tennis Club chief executive Richard Lewis has indicated that UK public-service broadcaster the BBC is likely to retain the rights to the Wimbledon championships when its current contract expires.
Lewis will oversee the tender process for the next rights contract, which will run from 2018, and his support for the existing 60-year relationship comes despite speculation that Wimbledon could be the latest major sporting property to leave the BBC.
In December, the AELTC, which operates Wimbledon, played down reports that coverage of the tournament could be shown on pay-television broadcaster BT Sport. Reports had said that the BBC had held talks about sharing coverage with a pay-television broadcaster.
“We have got a very good relationship with the BBC,” Lewis, speaking after Wimbledon 2015 concluded over the weekend, told The Guardian newspaper. “They do a very good job for us and we do a good job for them. It’s a win-win. I don’t see any reason for it to change.
“They recognise we do a good job for them and are valuable to them. Certainly, we feel that they get us. They are part of us, they understand us. They understand what impact Wimbledon has in the UK, let alone globally. There is a mutual respect and understanding.”
For a feature on the global media rights strategy of the AELTC, read the latest edition of the TV Sports Markets newsletter.