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Seven to serve up Wimbledon

Last year Nine dumped Wimbledon because it didn't rate, but today Seven comes to the rescue for tennis fans.

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Wimbledon is set to return to Free to Air Television on Channel Seven.

Seven today announced it has signed an agreement with The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in a multiple-year deal.

Seven will have first selection on the ‘best two matches’ of each day’s play through to and including the quarter-finals plus exclusive coverage of the singles semi-finals and finals and doubles finals in the Ladies’ and Men’s Championships.

A statement says, “Seven is planning extensive coverage of the Championships across its digital broadcast television platform in primetime, which will include live telecasts from the start of play on one of its multi-channels.”

Mick Desmond, Commercial Director of The All England Club, said: “We are delighted to be announcing this partnership with Seven. This agreement allows sports fans across Australia to enjoy Seven’s creative approach to bringing alive the stories and the colour of The Championships, while the development of multi-media and wireless platforms will provide viewers with an improved choice of how to access all the on and off court action and drama.”

Seven’s Head of Sport, Saul Shtein added: “Wimbledon is one of the world’s great sports events and Seven looks forward to being the network that delivers Australians the broadest possible coverage of The Championships on broadcast television.”

Seven is currently in discussions with the Office of the Minister for Communications on its broadcast plans for Wimbledon ahead of the new anti-siphining list being legislated.

Wimbledon was previously broadcast on Free to Air by Nine which ended its association last June after claiming it was no longer rating well. It has also screened on FOX Sports.

This year’s Championship commences on 20 June.

60 Responses

  1. Thankyou 7. I look foward to june when wimbledon is on and was devastated when 9 dumped it. But good move by 7 to pick it up. I just presumed foxtel would take it.

  4. This is mixed news. On the one hand its is good to see it stay on FTA but on the other hand there is no guarantee that the matches will be live. I hope that the anti syphoning list gets resolved ASAP because we need to have the option of seeing sport on the Digital channels instead of borring shows from the past.

  5. for those interested in AFL live telecasts (partic friday night games, this is interesting..

    according to the govt’s official website website (comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2011C00167/Html/Text#_Toc288747547 )

    under the category Australian Rules Football, Friday NIght Football is exempt from the anti-siphoning list for Rounds 1 to 14 !!

    This means Channel 7 Perth could show the games on 7Two or 7Mate live (and still show it on their core channel at 8:30pm).

  6. Great work by Seven, although I was surprised that it is Seven and not Ten/One which gets Wimbledon. Maybe it is Ten/One’s commitments to F1 and MotoGP that rule the channels out.

  7. This is great news. Perhaps not for those with Foxtel, and it’s true that Seven’s coverage of the AO has been pretty uninspiring. But I think it’s important for the sport that tennis has some sort of free-to-air presence beyond the Australian summer.

  15. 7 show live sport around the country… that’ll be a first! I doubt they’ll do it, in the end they’ll come up with a some excuse about some show they can’t move as it rates well etc etc. and then extend the coverage time so they can fit in more commercials.

    After all that’s what 7 do best.

  16. why did 9 dump it? with digital channels likely to be allowed to air it. 2011 would seem the year that it could finally be put to good use. it would be a good fit for GEM. oh well their loss, and claiming it doesnt rate probably allowed 7 to score a bargain.

    I agree Russel, i’d be putting it on 7two.
    is it a coincidence that this news comes on the same day that of the news that ONE is going to become less of a sport channel?

  19. “extensive coverage of the Championships across its digital broadcast television platform in primetime, which will include live telecasts from the start of play on one of its multi-channels.”

    Actually sounds like it will be on 7TWO and 7mate, not Seven.

    7TWO seems like the perfect fit, with it’s British theme

  21. The new anti-siphoning ‘list’ is not itself legislated. The contents of the list are entirely at the discression of the minister of communications. The regime which governs the operation of the list (including the multi-channel restrictions) will be legislated.

  22. Erk, no doubt Old Football Shoulders Joanna Griggs will be there along with the man who can out stare Death Himself , Bruce McAvaney. Wonder if they will use HD , what a silly question.

  24. Great, now they have two tennis tournaments they can ruin with their horrible TV ‘personalities’ and non-stop advertisements for the banal tripe they serve up every year.

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