BBC forced to raise Wimbledon bid

THE BBC has been forced into greatly increasing its bid for Wimbledon to try to prevent the Championships from being poached by other channels, according to reports last night.

The corporation is reported to be offering in the region of pounds 50m to retain exclusive rights to the All-England Club's competition. The actual figure remains confidential.

Some insiders say the figure on the table, said to be about two-thirds more than the current contract, has been devised by BBC chiefs fearful that the Championships will join the other prestigious sporting events that have been poached. After losing its 60-year hold on Test cricket, the BBC cannot afford to see tennis go the same way.

The game continues to attract a devoted following, with the Davis Cup match between Greg Rusedski and Jim Courier drawing an eight-million audience earlier this year.

Furthermore, the stakes have been upped with the decision to "de-list" everything except the second week of Wimbledon. This means that, although the finals remain one of the "crown jewels" of sport which must be screened on free- to-air television, there is nothing to stop pay-to-view channels from bidding for exclusive rights to earlier rounds.

It is believed that the BBC may have pushed up its bid in the belief that it now faced strong competition for Wimbledon. One insider said: "If we don't renew it, we will be caught up in a furore, but if we do, we will be accused of paying over the odds."

He denied that the corporation had increased its bid to pounds 50m for the five-year contract. The current deal, which expires in July, was believed to have cost the BBC pounds 30m. "That [pounds 50m] figure bears no relation to reality," he said.

Last night, a spokesman for the IMG-owned Transworld International, which was handling the bidding process on behalf of the All England Tennis Club, said that details had been sent out to "anybody and everybody" in the market. "We have had responses from the vast majority of those approached," he added.

ONdigital and Talk Radio were believed to be keen on broadcasting the championships, although it remains to be seen how many other channels are serious contenders.

An ITV insider said: "IMG are bound to say that. They are trying to get the price up by giving the impression that everyone is interested. We certainly are not. As a single channel we could not devote enough time."

Only two months ago, the BBC lost the radio rights for this winter's cricket Test series in South Africa and cannot afford another defeat. Over the past few years, the BBC has lost many key sporting events including the FA Cup Final. The only live football matches guaranteed to be broadcast next season are two European finals.

The All England Tennis Club said last night that the matter was still under discussion and an announcement would be made later this year.