BBC could share Wimbledon coverage with pay-TV partner

Wimbledon could be shown on pay-TV for the first time after the BBC held talks about sharing the rights to the world's most famous tennis tournament.

Covering the event costs the BBC as much as £40m a year and it could look to split the costs with another broadcaster when the current deal comes to an end in 2017, reports The Times.

The BBC has been the sole broadcaster for the event for 80 years, notes the paper. But amid fears of "cuts to its licence fee in the next round of funding negotiations in two years' time, it is considering cost-cutting measures, including commercial partnerships".

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BT is believed to be the most likely partner and the Times says "getting [the] rights to Wimbledon would be a huge coup for BT as it fights Sky for dominance of premium sports".

Although Wimbledon is one of sport's "crown jewels", the Ofcom rules say only that the finals weekend must be freely available on terrestrial TV. That means the rest of the tournament could be shown live on paid-for channels, provided there were daily highlights on free-to-air TV.

"Tennis fans will be alarmed that some Wimbledon matches would be available only on paid-for subscription channels. Many have already had to take out cable or satellite packages in recent years to watch live Test cricket matches, half of the Formula One races and most top-flight football games," says the Times.

The BBC and BT are already work together, notes the Daily Telegraph, sharing coverage of the FA Cup and the UK's pre-Wimbledon grass-court tennis events, including Queen's and Eastbourne. Their latest venture is joint coverage of the BDO World Professional Darts Championship.

However, the main opposition to any move to pay TV could come from Wimbledon itself, reports Mike Dickinson for the Daily Mail.

"The BBC has covered Wimbledon for nearly 80 years and there is a strong emotional bond between the two institutions," he says. "There is also, in line with the modern Wimbledon's more hardheaded outlook, recognition of the value of being on terrestrial television... a factor in Lewis Hamilton's crushing Sports Personality of the Year win over Rory McIlroy being that he is seen more often on television available to every household."

The media landscape is changing fast, he adds, but "even the smallest move away from the BBC monopoly of broadcasting the big fortnight in the UK would be an act of major symbolism".

For the moment, though, says Dickinson, "the British tennis-watching public should not be alarmed".