How Is New Technology Changing Wimbledon TV Coverage?

The annual Wimbledon tennis tournament involves a lot of tradition, but the TV coverage has changed dramatically over the years, highlighting the increasing role in which AI and electronic technology are playing in transforming the way viewers see live or recorded sport.

Innovation and new ideas may seem like unlikely things to associate with this, the oldest of the Grand Slams, which dates back to the 1870s and has been played at the All England Club since moving from the original Worple Road venue in 1922.

To an extent, some things never change, from the stipulation that players must wear white to the strawberries and cream and the continued use of grass as the playing surface, decades after the US and Australian Opens switched to hard courts.  

What Have Been The Major Changes In Wimbledon TV Coverage?

However, this assessment would be to ignore the fact that much has changed over the years, not least when it comes to TV coverage:

• The first TV coverage of Wimbledon took place in 1937

• Colour TV arrived in 1968

• In 1986, Wimbledon started using yellow balls instead of white to make it easier for viewers to see them.

• Hawkeye was introduced for line decisions in 2007

  
  

Some of these innovations, such as the first TV coverage, were ground-breaking, others less so.

For instance, the use of yellow balls in tennis was the idea of David Attenborough in his role as director of BBC 2 when colour TV was introduced.

However, even though the tennis authorities agreed and introduced the balls in 1972, the Championships doggedly stuck with traditional white balls for another 14 years.

However, in recent years, the use of technology has accelerated. Hawkeye provided a means of disputing line calls without the on-court meltdowns associated with the likes of John McEnroe, but also a new element for fans as they watch to see if the ball was in.

This means any TV production agency now needs to use new tech to cover sports properly. Wimbledon and other tennis events are following other sports in using technology, from the decision review system in cricket to VAR in football.

How Did Technological Change Affect Wimbledon In 2025?

Last year saw several new technological innovations affecting Wimbledon, once again impacting the play directly as well as the TV experience for viewers (and big screen experience for those watching from the stands).

• Like other Grand Slams, it has introduced electronic line-calls and replaced human line judges

• One difference is that it has given these calls human voices, based on voice recordings

•  It has also partnered with IBM to produce a real-time AI service for fans at the venue, with up-to-date stats and data, real-time interaction and a ‘likelihood to win’ algorithm

Not only does this transform the viewer’s experience of sport with greater visual technology, more data and greater interaction, but it also changes the role of TV production.

Instead of a focus just on the pictures themselves, the additional elements now play a crucial role. The AI image of a digital ball landing on (or near) a digital line and leaving a projected shadow is now just as important.

Why Is More Choice And Interaction Important In Sport TV Production Now?

This also means that production needs to be instant. True, there will still be highlights on TV later and that involves the usual editing task of selecting which passages of play to show, spliced with comments and interviews. But viewers will now expect so much more.

Another feature, which may not apply to some sporting events but certainly does in Grand Slam tennis, is scale.

Anyone tuning in on the BBC Sport website for the start of this year’s tournament will have found an option to tune in to any one of the courts where a match was taking place, offering instant and comprehensive viewer choice.

Although this may have been a grim exercise for British fans watching ten home players lose on the first day, it also highlighted a key demand that TV production now faces: the desire of viewers for extra choice, as well as greater technology and more real-time data and replays.

This should not come as a surprise. Every innovation, from action replays to the use of captions for timekeeping and the score, has been used to advance the standard of sports TV coverage down the years. The latest innovations are simply the next step.

Wimbledon may retain some long-standing traditions and some elements will even make a comeback (and that’s just Serena Williams). But even a place that is so rooted in sporting history will be at the centre of broadcasting innovations.

That is why the TV and tech used at Wimbledon changed last year, has been enhanced many times since those pioneering days in 1937 and will be different again in 2037.