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ESPN acquires Wimbledon rights until 2013

North American-based sports broadcaster ESPN has finalised a six-year deal with The All England Tennis and Croquet Club for international television and internet rights for the Wimbledon tennis championships.

ESPN2 will broadcast around 100 hours of live and highlights coverage per year, and internet portal ESPN360.com will show more than 200 hours of live coverage per year.

ESPN executive vice president John Skipper said: “Wimbledon is a special place in the sports world, and we are proud to extend and expand our terrific relationship with the All England Club. We believe tennis fans will actively pursue and enjoy the offerings that this new agreement makes possible on ESPN's growing multimedia and wireless platforms.”