Overview

• Writing in The Telegraph on July 24, veteran presenter Des Lynam urged the BBC to launch a separate pay-per-view sports channel to safeguard access to marquee events such as Wimbledon.
• Lynam insisted the new channel must be funded through subscription revenue rather than the licence fee to meet rising rights costs.
• The BBC currently pays £60 million per year for Category A Wimbledon rights, locked in until 2027 under free-to-air obligations.
• Sky and TNT Sports are expected to challenge for Wimbledon rights when the current deal expires.
• Lynam cautioned that moving sports content behind a paywall could provoke significant resistance within the corporation.