BBC secures Wimbledon broadcast rights until 2033
BBC will keep Wimbledon free to air in the UK until 2033, preserving one of the country’s biggest shared sporting moments as streaming competition intensifies.
BBC Sport will broadcast Wimbledon until 2033 after signing a new deal with the All England Club, keeping the Championships free to air across BBC television, radio and digital platforms in the United Kingdom. The agreement secures one of the country’s most widely shared sporting events at a time when premium rights are increasingly moving behind paywalls.
The new contract extends a relationship that began when the BBC first carried Wimbledon on radio in 1927 and then on television in 1937. Next year’s tournament will mark 100 years since that first BBC broadcast, while Wimbledon’s own history says the Championships were televised for the first time in 1937 from Centre Court. The new deal means coverage will continue across BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app, and the broadcaster’s social channels.
The BBC’s value to Wimbledon is visible in the numbers. Last summer’s tournament generated 69.3 million online requests across BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app in 2025, a record for the broadcaster’s digital platforms. That was up from 54.3 million in 2023 and 50.1 million in 2024, showing how a free-to-access national event can still draw huge audiences well beyond the television set. For a tournament that sits at the centre of the British summer calendar, the scale matters as much as the tradition.
BBC Sport said this year’s coverage will feature a fresher editorial and creative approach, with new voices and personalities, deeper storytelling, stronger analysis and more technology across TV, radio, online and social platforms. The 2026 Championships get under way on Monday, 29 June 2026 and run until 12 July 2026, with Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek defending their singles titles.
Wimbledon has long stressed the importance of reach. The All England Club says it wants to deliver the tournament to as large an audience as possible and, in most parts of the world, aims to place at least part of The Championships on free-to-air television. Wimbledon was transmitted to more than 220 territories in 2025, and its published future dates already show the 2027 Championships running from 28 June to 11 July 2027.
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