Tennis Channel Scores Deal with the 2008 Championships at Wimbledon
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jul 17, 2007 | Print |
Beginning next season, Tennis Channel will begin airing coverage of the Championships at Wimbledon, adding to its Grand Slam line-up which already includes the Australian and French Opens.
Unfortunately, before fans get too excited, they need to read the fine print of the deal.
According to the official press release, TTC will be airing over 100 hours of coverage from Wimbledon during the 2008 fortnight.
What the press release does not say is that none of those hours will be live matches.
Unlike the TTC’s deal with the French Tennis Federation, which did include live matches on television and online, the plans for 2008 include only classic matches, taped features, and an evening highlight show.
“The broadcast partnership with the tournament’s governing All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will bring well in excess of 100 hours of Wimbledon-dedicated programming to Tennis Channel during next summer’s two-week event and in the weeks leading up to The Championships,” said the official press release.
“Beyond access to the tournament’s vast library of classic matches and other historic video, the network will bring viewers nightly, prime-time coverage through Wimbledon After Dark, a four-hour program that will immerse viewers in the unparalleled Wimbledon experience.”
“Tennis Channel will produce all matches it covers at Wimbledon, utilizing the network’s own on-air talent at the tournament grounds,” added TTC. “Additionally, the network will use the same multi-platform focus it employed during its first Grand Slam, May’s French Open, allowing tennis fans to access Wimbledon content through its Web site.”
Unlike the plans for the French Open, no mention is made of online live streams - understandable considering the AELTC’s partnership with MediaZone and Wimbledon LIVE.
“Wimbledon After Dark is slated to follow the pattern of the network’s French Open Tonight, which brought U.S. television audiences a landmark, immersive, prime-time Grand Slam experience and the essence of the epic event and host city into their living rooms each evening. The four-hour show will recap the battles of the day, provide previously unseen matches, offer inside analysis with players and other tennis guests, and showcase the excitement, culture and history that tie the tournament to its London location, and vice versa.”
Obviously, the Wimbledon After Dark show will appeal to many of Tennis Channel’s viewers, but most fans with live tennis on their minds will hardly be content with the “excitement, culture, and history” of the Grand Slam or tape delayed matches.
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Chris | Jul 17, 2007 | Reply
Well, I got Wimbledon Live this year, and it was fabulous. The 25 dollars were well worth it and I can STILL watch those matches again or something new that I missed. So at least one fan isn’t going to be disappointed by what TTC is doing. But if the 25 dollars can be scrounged, every tennis fan should get WL.
I’m more looking forward to AO on TTC. That’s always been the slam I’ve “ignored.” Somehow, despite being a fan for several years, I had no idea Serena won it in 2005! That’s how little I follow AO. Now, with that + pretty blue courts instead of that awful green, it might look better now.
Will.I.Am | Jul 17, 2007 | Reply
This is a purely positive move for the Tennis Channel. I’m a big fan of live tennis, but during the morning I’m busy at work and school, so I miss most live matches. In addition, the fans won’t have to worry about rain delays. When Wimbledon is on the Tennis Channel, there will be some action there.
Also, I loved loved loved the Tennis Channel’s coverage of the French Open. French Open tonight gave fans a deeper look into the city of Paris, and the behind the scenes action.
Eeven further, I loved loved loved the Classic matches that the Tennis Channel played during the French open. This is great for young people like me to see matches we’ve only heard about
Not to mention Martina Navratilova as a commentor. Imagine her commentating at WImbledon, where she’s been so successful! This is going to be awesome.
So all of these positives clearly outweigh no live coverage. Aaeress anybody ever told you that you can be pessimistic at times? Look at the glass as half full.
Aaress | Jul 17, 2007 | Reply
Will.I.Am, you’re definitely not the first to tell me that!
Striking a balance is never easy, and I admit, I’m prone to swing occasionally on the negative side.
Good point - some coverage is definitely better than no coverage. I was VERY impressed with TTC’s coverage of Roland Garros - I’ve probably not enjoyed a Grand Slam so much before.
The classic matches that you mentioned were an added bonus too. I got to watch the infamous Martina Hingis/Steffi Graf moment, plus some other great matches.
I guess the deeper dissatisfaction comes when I think about just how many light years tennis is behind other sports in the USA.
Who would ever dream of tape delaying World Series or March Madness games? Instead, we get to watch the WTA Championships on VERSUS, tape-delayed - and for the majority of the Grand Slams, matches featuring only the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova.
I understand about how many people are at work or school during the times of live coverage, so a highlight show will definitely fit the bill for you and others. Me personally, I watched maybe 5 minutes of French Open Tonight the entire two weeks.
Chris, you’re missing a lot by skipping the AO. It may not have all the prestige of Wimbledon or the level of excitement of the US Open, but it is a fabulous event in its own right - and an excellent way to kick off a new tennis season. By the way, that thriller between Lindsay Davenport and Serena in 2005 was a classic.
Chris | Jul 18, 2007 | Reply
What TTC did with the French was great. It was clear they put lots of effort into trying to do the best they possibly could, and I liked that.
The classic matches were a good idea but it seemed they only had a variety of three or four? Granted, each of those matches were either very good or interesting, but that was my only complaint there. I’ll bet you $10 Borg v. Mac 1980 is the main classic they show next year.
My only problem is like you said Aaress, I watched very little FO Tonight, and it seems what happens at Wimbledon will be the same thing. sure, some good interviews, good highlights reels from the day, but unless I see most or all of the match I don’t feel like I’ve watched a match for some reason, so I stay away from that. But to people who don’t have the time to watch whole matches, it’s a great plan, definitely.
And I was always put off by the final in 05 because of the bagel, didn’t seem very competitive there, though I could be wrong.