BBC employees ‘fearing for the future’ after losing two huge sporting events with Wimbledon potentially next
Anxiety is reportedly spreading among BBC employees following the corporation’s loss of two long-standing sporting broadcast rights this year.
TNT Sports, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, outbid the BBC late last year to secure coverage of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this summer, ending a broadcasting relationship that stretched back more than seventy years.
Channel 4 has also acquired the Boat Race, which the BBC had shown for decades apart from a brief period when ITV held the rights between 2005 and 2009.
Neither event ranks among the calendar’s premier sporting occasions, yet both command significant audiences. The 2025 Oxford versus Cambridge contest attracted 2.6 million viewers.
Staff working on the corporation’s Six Nations coverage are said to be particularly worried about their future, with concerns extending to the flagship Wimbledon broadcasts, according to the Daily Mail.
The All England Club has reportedly raised questions about how the BBC’s presentation of the Championships compares with coverage of other Grand Slam tournaments, The Times has reported.
An industry source reportedly said: “John McEnroe is great, although he can split opinion, but some of the other presenters and pundits at Wimbledon seem out of touch and not really up to date with a lot of the players.”
Anxiety is reportedly spreading among BBC employees following the corporation’s loss of two long-standing sporting broadcast rights this year
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GETTY
The source added that while traditional elements appeal to some viewers, the broadcaster should examine approaches taken elsewhere in tennis coverage.
The BBC’s relationship with Wimbledon represents one of British broadcasting’s most enduring partnerships.
Wimbledon could be the next sporting event lost by the Beeb
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PA
Radio commentary from the corporation has continued for close to a hundred years, while free-to-air television coverage began in 1937.
However, the current television rights agreement expires in 2027, and TNT Sports already holds a stake in the coverage.
The rival broadcaster secured permission to share and air both singles finals, and from 2025 onwards gained the rights to show highlights across the United Kingdom.
There are concerns that without significant changes to its tennis presentation, the BBC’s attempt to renew its Wimbledon deal could be placed in jeopardy.
The Boat Race will no longer be shown by the BBC
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GETTYThe potential loss of Wimbledon would follow a troubling pattern for the corporation’s sports portfolio.
Several prestigious events have already departed from BBC channels in recent years, including The Open golf championship, the Grand National and Royal Ascot.
The Commonwealth Games will be shown by a broadcaster other than the BBC for the first time when Glasgow hosts the event this summer, marking another significant departure from tradition.
Staff fears reportedly centre on whether the corporation can halt this erosion of its sporting coverage, with Wimbledon widely regarded as the BBC’s most prized remaining asset in the sports broadcasting landscape.
