WIMBLEDON 2021

Hitting a winner: The Switch delivers live feeds of Wimbledon via state-of-the-art connectivity and network reach

Wimbledon, one of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar, was looking to bring back the iconic event’s live excitement to tennis fans around the globe in 2021 after the previous tournament was cancelled – and the rightsholders had to ensure they had the connectivity and delivery needed to provide seamless coverage
To make sure all rightsholders had that assurance, Wimbledon looked to The Switch for its robust connectivity and global network reach to transport live feeds
Project brings together The Switch’s top-tier IP infrastructure, its extensive first-mile experience, its deep live sports expertise and its worldwide fiber and network to ensure transmission from the world’s premier grass court tournament

The Switch built a dedicated private dark fiber ring connecting the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon to IMG Studios at Stockley Park, West London, where all production for the tournament is handled
Was largest stadium Point of Presence (POP) The Switch has built to date, with the network delivering 100-200 Gb capacity while serving all rightsholders
Flexible fibre network ensured redundancy and allowed capacity to be spun up and down as needed

The Switch delivered more live broadcast feeds and livestreams than ever from the Grand Slam tournament, carrying every live feed from all 18 courts, plus beauty shots, throughout the tournament
Ensured Tennis’s most iconic tournament was able to reach its global fanbase in over 200 countries, with 25.8 million tuning in to watch Wimbledon in the UK alone – including a peak audience of 7.8 million for the men’s final
“We worked very closely with The Switch,” Paul Davies, head of broadcast, production and media rights, for the All England Lawn Tennis Club, told SVG Europe… “We had 150 feeds coming out of Wimbledon – or the capacity to do that – so we knew leaving Wimbledon via Stockley or Post Office Tower, signals were getting out. It was just about giving all our partners everything they could possibly need to deliver the Wimbledon experience.”