Andrew Castle's commentary 'dampens' BBC Wimbledon record as fans demand he's removed
Jannik Sinner's remarkable triumph over Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles final at Wimbledon was viewed by a whopping 8.8 million spectators, according to figures released by the BBC.
The majority of this audience, some 8.3 million, tuned in via BBC One, marking a significant increase from last year's viewership of 7.5 million. Sinner secured his inaugural Wimbledon title following an enthralling four-set contest, one of many highlights during the BBC's fortnight of coverage.
In the women's singles final, Iga Świątek clinched her first Wimbledon title with a commanding straight sets victory over Amanda Anisimova, drawing a peak audience of 4.1 million on BBC One. The match was also streamed over one million times on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
However, while Świątek's win was certainly noteworthy, British sensation Emma Raducanu proved to be the bigger draw for TV audiences, reports the Mirror.
Her Centre Court showdown with Aryna Sabalenka pulled in a peak TV viewership of five million – the third highest for a non-final match in the past four years.
These numbers were only surpassed by Raducanu's own fourth-round nail-biter against Lulu Sun in 2024 and Andy Murray's clash with John Isner in 2022.
The BBC also announced that it achieved its largest ever overall audience for a Wimbledon tournament, with a record-breaking 69.3 million accessing coverage across BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app throughout the championship's two-week duration.
The figures soared past the 50.1 million online requests made in 2024, and also eclipsed the previous high of 54.3 million online requests recorded in 2023.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, remarked: "This year's record-breaking digital figures for Wimbledon are testament to the huge appeal of the sport amongst audiences and the power of digital innovation to bring both new and existing fans closer to the action than ever before.
"The way people are following Wimbledon is changing but that is exciting for us as we look to tell the best stories in different ways".
Despite these impressive numbers, the BBC has faced pressure on social media platforms to remove a member of its commentary team.
Andrew Castle, long associated with the broadcaster's Wimbledon coverage, was selected to commentate the men's singles final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, a decision that did not sit well with some viewers.
"Why oh why do the BBC put Andrew Castle on lead commentary for the Men's Singles final every year, he's terrible. My ears have already start to bleed," one viewer complained.
Another lamented: "Massive build up to this #WimbledonFinal and then BBC put Andrew Castle on commentary. Way to kill the match for me before it even starts."
"Wow Andrew Castle is so bad he is already trending internationally," observed one viewer. "Heart sinks when I hear the words '... and your commentator is Andrew Castle'. Ruins enjoyment of every match. @BBCSport needs to cut the chord," remarked another.
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Castle's role at Wimbledon has sparked debate previously, especially following Andre Agassi's guest appearance on the BBC's commentary panel during the semi-final showdown between Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz.
Agassi's involvement triggered a wave of enthusiastic responses from audiences, with many appearing to favour his analysis over Castle's contributions.
Whether any changes are being considered for next year's broadcasting line-up is yet to be revealed, though.
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