As the world’s top tennis players try to make their own pieces of history at SW19 this summer, The All England Club, Wimbledon is continuing to innovate. The Sony 3D proposition that captured fans’ attention in 2011 is back, allowing people to test out the experience of watching tennis in 3D.
But it is the launch of a new interactive audio-visual service in 2012 which shows just how far Wimbledon has come and how far it is determined to push the boundaries of the viewing and listening experience.
Joining forces with its broadcasters, the AELTC has created “Live @ Wimbledon”, a special interactive service on the official website and mobile applications, which will offer at least five hours per day of live TV coverage, and all-day radio coverage, also on local FM frequency, throughout The Championships.
Aiming to replicate for fans the experience they would have if they were at the All England Club themselves, Live @ Wimbledon Video, presented by Mats Wilander and Annabel Croft, will provide all the colour of the Grounds, whilst bringing live coverage of crucial moments from each of the most important matches. It is available to users in the UK and the Americas (excluding Brazil) only for the first year.
Live @ Wimbledon Radio, available worldwide, will be presented by Marcus Buckland and Mary Rhodes. Listeners from every country will be able to hear point by point coverage of everything that happens on Centre Court and No.1 Court, while reporters stationed around the Grounds will ensure that nothing is missed.
While Live @ Wimbledon aims to take The Championships’ technological experience even further into the 21st century, before too long, as the sport continues to expand around the world, it may well be possible to experience the Wimbledon website in both Mandarin and Spanish.
Live @ Wimbledon Radio is also available on the official Wimbledon smartphone apps. The iPhone app is re-modelled and improved for 2012, while the Android app is the first official Wimbledon app on that platform.
Other key features of the app include live scores, results, schedule of play, video previews and Find It, a service that allows spectators to locate facilities around the grounds at Wimbledon.
It is a blend of tradition and innovation of which Wimbledon can be proud. As Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, put it: “All this history and tradition which we have in Wimbledon, it's enough to just have a look. For me it’s the most prestigious and the highest possible tournament in all of sports.”
Wimbledon, it seems, is determined to make sure it stays that way.
You can watch and listen to Live @ Wimbledon from 9am on day one of The Championships 2012, Monday 25th June on http://www.wimbledon.com/, also available on iPhone, Android and mobile web.
The official Wimbledon iPhone and Android apps are now available to download from the Apple app store and Google play store respectively. For more information and for system requirements click here