Richard Lewis, the chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, has signalled that the BBC is almost certain to retain the rights to Wimbledon despite the shifting sports rights landscape and budgetary pressures on the broadcaster.
Lewis, who will oversee the tender process for the next contract that runs from 2017, said he saw no reason for the existing relationship to change despite speculation last year suggesting it could become the latest major sporting event to move in part to pay TV.
The speculation had arisen from exploratory talks between the BBC and BT Sport over whether the latter could share some of the rights, perhaps by showing action on the outside courts. But the practicalities would prove difficult, despite the current vogue at the BBC for joint deals as with the FA Cup, Formula One and now the Six Nations – which will be shared with ITV under a new £50m-a-year deal.
Lewis has now confirmed that he is keen to renew Wimbledon’s special 60-year relationship with the BBC. “We have got a very good relationship with the BBC. They do a very good job for us and we do a good job for them. It’s a win-win. I don’t see any reason for it to change,” said Lewis, at the end of a fortnight that has been as popular as ever in ticket sales and ratings.
“They recognise we do a good job for them and are valuable to them. Certainly, we feel that they get us. They are part of us, they understand us. They understand what impact Wimbledon has in the UK, let alone globally. There is a mutual respect and understanding.”
He cites the atmosphere that can build when a big Wimbledon moment is brewing, such as Heather Watson’s match with Serena Williams, with free-to-air blanket coverage on the BBC a key component. “That was a big thing. Someone was telling me they were in a pub in north London and it was like a football match. I can believe it. The centre court atmosphere was very special and it was a great contest.”
Lewis’s comments will reassure the BBC that the club is determined to maintain a relationship that goes back to the beginning of televised sport and will reassure those viewers lamenting the International Olympic Committee’s recent deal with Discovery and the R&A’s with Sky for Open golf. It could also be a gentle reminder to BBC executives considering the impact of reduced licence fee income of the tournament’s importance.
The BBC is also important to Wimbledon because of its ubiquity during the fortnight and it is an important calling card when selling the brand and TV rights overseas. Lewis even backed the failed experiment of Wimbledon 2Day, the daily programme that quickly morphed back into a version of the traditional highlights amid viewer complaints. “We don’t mind the BBC trying new things. We were fully supportive. It didn’t quite work and they’ve moved back to something that people are enjoying and it’s receiving support,” said Lewis, who succeeded Ian Ritchie in 2012.
The former Rugby Football League and Sport England chairman said moving the tournament back by a week had been an unqualified success and resulted in higher quality matches from the first day because players had enjoyed longer on the grass. “The players have been overwhelmingly positive. With the extra week the players were arriving here earlier and practising more,” he said. “Lots of competition time, lots of practice and good weather. Qualifying week felt a lot busier all round. It has felt like a three-week tournament.”
Lewis must continually maintain a balance between modernising Wimbledon, ensuring it is as accessible as possible to all pockets, while also increasing commercial income and retaining its traditions. On the subject of technology, where smart phones have subtly altered the experience as court side fans keep tabs on other matches, he remained convinced it had successfully walked the line. “It’s something we’ve talked about a lot and the feedback so far is that it’s an improvement and it’s not interfering with people’s enjoyment on the court.
“But that’s always been the thing we want to keep an eye on – if people are sticking tablets in the air or interfering with people’s enjoyment of the match. But we’re not getting any complaints along those lines and the fact people know what is going on around the grounds is adding to people’s enjoyment of the day.”
Around those grounds, there is an air of constant evolution. Phase one of the latest redevelopment plan, digging under courts 14 and 15 to provide more room for catering facilities and storage, is complete. Stage two will be more dramatic, adding a roof, new hospitality areas and 1,000 more seats to No1 Court over the next three years in stages. That redevelopment is being paid for by a new debenture issue that sold out almost immediately, even at double the price of the previous one.
Lewis insisted there was no paradox between the debenture scheme, which allows holders to sell seats at above face value when not in use, and his determination to clamp down on touting. “Ordinary tickets can be sold back to the Club so they can get back their money at face value,” he said. “The debentures is a different type of scheme for funding new facilities. A lot of what is so positive about this place wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for debentures.”
He said the consumer rights bill would allow the club to be tougher about policing the resale of ordinary tickets for profit, arguing that it is essential to preserve the tournament’s atmosphere. “If you can’t do that and people just buy tickets to sell, that’s a recipe for the organised companies with computer systems and multiple applications,” he said. “I don’t think people would welcome that in the slightest. It is an important part of Wimbledon that tickets are fairly and reasonably priced.”
John McEnroe is among those who have loudly questioned whether the grand slams should take another look at bringing in tie-breaks in the fifth set in light of the demands of the modern game. But Lewis insisted it was part of the unique appeal of the four grand slams. “I understand why it crops up when you see a match like Isner and Cilic going back on court. But I don’t think for that rare, exceptional match that goes on for a long time one should change the whole dynamic,” he said. “It’s part of grand slam tennis. There’s a narrative that builds up that’s unique to grand slam tennis.”
Lewis, who played at Wimbledon 11 times (though progressed beyond the first round only once), ruled out changes to the traditional all white rule in spite of grumbles from some players: “It’s only two weeks of the year, the rest of the year they can wear what they like”.
He also had some words of advice for Nick Kyrgios over the standards required in the famous grounds. “There have to be boundaries. I think that when he learns that people will relax and enjoy his personality and character. There are ballboys and ballgirls, there are spectators, there are TV viewers and people don’t want to watch and hear players go over the line into something that is unseemly.”
Lewis embodies the understated but quietly ambitious modus operandi of the modern Wimbledon – one minute talking enthusiastically about Andy Murray’s form and the next its global brand building ambitions in China and elsewhere. “We’ve got the best of both worlds – some lovely facilities for hospitality and debentures, a royal box that is very special and probably as good as it gets in sport. And then one of the very best public experiences.”
