ESPN Expands Wimbledon Pact

ESPN and The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club expanded their Wimbledon Championships digital-rights agreement in the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America (except Brazil), and the Caribbean, which will double the hours of live broadband coverage on ESPN360.com this year, expand live mobile streaming on ESPN Mobile TV by nearly 60%, and add additional highlights on ESPN.com and ESPNdeportes.com.

ESPN360.com will deliver live coverage of up to nine courts throughout the early rounds, depending on the tournament’s schedule, and a total of nearly 650 hours of live coverage between opening day and the semifinals. The broadband network will also simulcast ESPN2’s nearly 100 hours of coverage and offer Wimbledon Finals events on-demand the morning after competition.

ESPN360 in Mexico and Chile will also deliver all of the live coverage delivered in the United States.

ESPN Mobile TV will deliver more than 80 hours throughout the tournament.

The 2009 Wimbledon Championships are scheduled for June 22-July 5.