Wimbledon breaks record despite demand for BBC commentator to be removed
Jannik Sinner's thrilling victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles final at Wimbledon was watched by a whopping 8.8 million viewers, the BBC has revealed.
A staggering 8.3 million of these fans tuned in via BBC One, marking a significant increase from last year's figure of 7.5 million. Sinner's first Wimbledon title win, secured after an intense four-set duel, was just one of several highlights during the BBC's fortnight-long coverage.
In the women's singles final, Iga Swiątek clinched her maiden Wimbledon title with a commanding straight sets victory over Amanda Anisimova. They drew a peak audience of 4.1 million on BBC One and was streamed over a million times on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
However, it was British sensation Emma Raducanu who truly captured the nation's attention. Her Centre Court showdown with Aryna Sabalenka pulled in a peak TV audience of 5 million, making it the third most-watched non-final match in four years. It was 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 Beeb also revealed that this year's Wimbledon championships set a new record for overall viewership, with an unprecedented 69.3 million people tuning in across BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app throughout the tournament.
Wimbledon's digital engagement has smashed previous records too, with the BBC announcing a staggering number of online requests this year. The figures soared past the 50.1 million online requests made in 2024 and eclipsed the prior record of 54.3 million set in 2023.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport says: "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".
The successful figures come despite the BBC facing calls on social media to drop a member of its commentary team.
Andrew Castle, a stalwart of the broadcaster's Wimbledon coverage in recent years, was chosen for the men's singles final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, a choice that seemed to go down badly with fans.
"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," said one viewer.
Another lamented the decision, saying: "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," as reported by the Mirror.
"Wow Andrew Castle is so bad he is already trending internationally," another fan pointed out. A fourth disgruntled viewer expressed, "Heart sinks when I hear the words 'and your commentator is Andrew Castle'. Ruins enjoyment of every match. @BBCSport needs to cut the chord,".
Castle's presence at Wimbledon has been a big talking point this year, particularly after Trinity Rodman took umbrage with his mentions of her as she watched boyfriend Ben Shelton, and following appearance from Andre Agassi on the BBC's commentary team for the semi-final clash between Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz.
Agassi's arrival prompted a flood of positive reactions from viewers, many of whom seemed to prefer his insight to Castle's.
Whether there are any plans to shake things up for next year's coverage remains to be seen, however.
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