John McEnroe receives at least £150,000 per year from the BBC.GETTY IMAGES
John McEnroe said that the "controversy over the stark difference in pay" that he and Martina Navratilova have received from the BBC is "not a black and white issue," according to Stuart Fraser of the LONDON TIMES. The three-time Wimbledon champion and former world No. 1 "believes his punditry work during the championships is worth the cheque" of at least £150,000 ($197,400) a year he is paid by the broadcaster. Navratilova revealed to a BBC Panorama investigation in March that she was paid "just" £15,000 ($19,700) for her input. McEnroe said, "I don't think it's simply like people receiving the same pay. You're not going out and playing Wimbledon or the US Open, this is a totally different animal. It's like if you work at a paper and there's a woman and a man, you're going to, I believe, get paid based on the job that you do in the opinion of the paper." Asked if he would be doing the same level of work for the BBC this year, McEnroe replied, "I believe so. That's up to the BBC" (LONDON TIMES, 6/27). In London, Simon Briggs reported it was an "unusual debate, in that the BBC was investigating itself." The response from the sports department to the Panorama report was that McEnroe's job was on a "different scale, scope and time commitment" to Navratilova's. The statement said, "They are simply not comparable." In his latest comments on the issue, McEnroe declared himself "supportive of the equal-pay principle." Citing BBC presenter Sue Barker as "one of his most admired colleagues," McEnroe said, "If the girl does a better job, she should get more money." According to official figures, Barker earns more than £300,000 ($395,300) per year, which places her third on the list of BBC sports presenters, behind Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. McEnroe: "I believe that Sue does a very good job, but don't tell her that, because her head is already very big." When asked if he had discussed the issue with Navratilova, McEnroe replied, "I've not spoken to her. But we're not in the same place that often, it doesn’t come up" (TELEGRAPH, 6/26).
DIGITAL OFFERING: BROADBAND TV NEWS' Robert Briel reported Eurosport's coverage of The Championships at Wimbledon "is with all courts available to watch on the Eurosport Player, in addition to selected matches on Eurosport TV." However, the Discovery-owned sports broadcaster "does not offer any Ultra HD/4k coverage" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 6/26).
