Wimbledon coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 is averaging a 0.5 Nielsen U.S.
rating, even with the '11 tournament through six days of telecasts,
and 569,000 HHs, up 8% from last year. Saturday's 10-hour-plus Wimbledon
telecast on ESPN earned a 0.9 U.S. rating, the best for a "middle
Saturday" since the net's '07 coverage earned a 1.0. Digital consumption
on ESPN3 and WatchESPN is up 67% from '11 through the same point in the
tourney, with 46.6 million live minutes consumed across all digital
platforms (ESPN).
All-England Lawn Tennis Club CEO Richard Lewis discussed the use of the Centre Court retractable roof Tuesday. Lewis: “We're an
outdoor event, so we want to play the match outdoor, without the roof
if at all possible. So if it's dry and players are playing on the
outside courts, we would start with the roof open and then if the rain
comes along and play is suspended, we then play the rest of the match
under the roof." With the club also hosting Olympic tennis this summer,
ESPN's John McEnroe asked, “Does that come into play
when you're deciding about which courts to play on at this stage of the
tournament?” Lewis: “No, not yet, but it's something in the back of our
minds in terms of we are aware of our responsibilities to the Olympics.
Right now, it's about completing the championships” ("Wimbledon," ESPN2, 7/3).
