Wimbledon will be live on BBC One until 9pm during the first week of the tournment, in a move designed to reduce sudden schedule changes.
The BBC has confirmed details of its plans for this year’s Wimbledon coverage, which starts on Monday 3rd July.
TV coverage will start at 11am in the morning (10:30 on day 1), beginning on BBC Two and presented by Isa Guha, before coverage switches to BBC One in the afternoon.
After Sue Barker’s departure last year, Clare Balding (pictured) takes on lead presenting duties in primetime, taking over from Isa Guha during the afternoon.
Last year, the BBC tried to resolve first week scheduling issues by moving The One Show and EastEnders to BBC Two, returning to normal schedules by 8:30pm. But within the first few days, schedules went awry when tennis matches continued beyond the planned channel switch time. This led to delayed programmes and last minute channel changes. This year’s decision to keep Wimbledon on BBC One until 9pm aims to avoid a repeat of the schedule chaos, which prompted numerous complaints.
Highlights
TV highlights on Today at Wimbledon follows at 9pm daily on BBC Two and iPlayer, presented by Qasa Alom.
iPlayer
Viewers will be able to watch every match on the BBC iPlayer. Viewers with connected TVs and receivers, like Sky Q and Freeview Play will be able to press red to access all the available iPlayer streams from Wimbledon.
The traditional red button service will carry a Wimbledon Extra channel for additional coverage. This will also be available through the iPlayer. However, on cable and satellite, there will not be additional red button feeds. All additional feeds will be iPlayer only.
Marc Thornham