The nation willed him on. The nation watched, listened and followed every nerve wracking point. It was a perfect reminder of why we love sport – the 77 year quest for a Men’s Singles Champion, the tears of disappointment at defeat last year and the knowledge that until the very last Djokovic backhand we didn’t know whether the story would have a happy ending.
Congratulations toÌýÌý- newly crowned Men's Singles Wimbledon Champion - how sweet that must sound after all the pressure and his extraordinary performance.
Sir Chris Hoy described the victory as one the greatest British sporting moments of all time. The Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s Sports Editor,Ìý, suggests on his blog that Murray’s triumph may surpass the likes of the Football World Cup in 1966, the Rugby World Cup in 2003 and Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France victory last year. No doubt everyone will have a view on that particular debate.
It was a privilege for the Â鶹ԼÅÄ to once again broadcast the Wimbledon Championships.ÌýÌýpeople tuned in to watch the final – the most watched programme of the year - with millions more listening on 5 live and the World Service.
It was also the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s most comprehensive digital offering ever for Wimbledon – up to 10 live streams, Red Button in HD and, for the first time, over a million people accessing our services via a tablet device. 6 million browsers logged on to the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport website on Sunday to catch the action, follow the live text and see worldwide reaction through social media – while for the first time the tennis coverage was available via ourÌý.
It is the Â鶹ԼÅÄ's aim to bring to the widest possible audience those sporting events that can unite the nation. In addition to Wimbledon, we have contracts in place for events such as the Olympic Games, the Six Nations Championship, Open Golf, the 2014 Football World Cup in Brazil, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Formula 1, the London Marathon, the Boat Race and the next three World Athletics Championships – plus much, much more.
Following the sensational summer of 2012, spearheaded by the London Olympic Games, many commentators were speculating that 2013 would be a quiet sporting year. It took just two events on the first weekend in July to end those fears; Andy Murray’s success coupled with the British & Irish Lions first seriesÌýÌýfor 16 years - these two events alone will surely change the way sporting audiences reflect on 2013.
But it doesn’t end there.
Today marks the start of the latest instalment of the Ashes, one of the oldest and greatest of sporting rivalries. There is full coverage of the series on the colourful and consistent Test Match Special, plus a wide array ofÌýÌýon 5 live and daily Ashes ‘round-ups’ after close of play on the News Channel. You can also listen to every ball bowled via the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport website and the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport app.
And this evening, theÌýÌýkicks off in Sweden, with all of England's matches broadcast live on Â鶹ԼÅÄ TV, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio, the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport website and the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport app.
We hope to tap into the interest in Women’s Football that came to the fore at the London Olympic Games when over 70,000 people turned up at Wembley to watch England beat Brazil. There will be 16 matches in total on Â鶹ԼÅÄ TV – an unprecedented commitment by a UK terrestrial broadcaster to the tournament.
Then, in just over a week, the eyes of the sporting world will shift to Muirfield in Scotland for theÌý.Can Justin Rose claim back-to-back ‘major’ victories and get his hands on the famous Claret Jug? Once again, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport will have all the action on TV, radio and online.
The Formula 1 season continues on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ with its unique mix of speed, bravery and controversy before theÌýÌýtakes place at the end of July, followed by the World Athletics Championships from Moscow a fortnight later – potentially a double helping of the likes of Bolt, Ennis and Farah.
We know you have many choices for where to watch, listen and read about sport. So we are fortunate the British public more often than not choose the Â鶹ԼÅÄ. Last year, the Â鶹ԼÅÄ accounted for 2% of sports hours broadcast on TV but we generated over 50% of total sports viewing – a statistic that has held up over time and demonstrates what our strategy is all about: bringing the nation together. And these days it certainly isn’t just about television: we are equally proud to run the most popular sports radio station inÌýÌýand the most popular sports website in the UK,Ìý.
The final game in the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final raised the bar for new levels of sporting tension and story telling. We are determined to do likewise with our commitment to delivering great action on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ across this the most eventful and extraordinary ‘quiet’ year of sport the UK has ever known.
Barbara Slater is Director, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport
Ìý