Just one day in and Wimbledon has already served up its first upset - the ever competitive Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the first round.
This year, a partnership between YouTube and the All England Lawn Tennis Club will allow tennis fans to watch live streaming coverage of the Wimbledon tournament on the Wimbledon YouTube channel for the first time.
The Wimbledon YouTube channel was officially introduced in 2006, but this year marks the first time the channel will feature live matches - mixed with a little marketing from coverage sponsor, Rolex.
"This year, Wimbledon's YouTube channel will have exclusive access throughout the championships on Live @ Wimbledon," YouTube announced on its blog. While the channel does not offer serve-by-serve coverage, those who are unable to catch the tournament on TV can watch match highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews online.
This includes, among other things, golden moments from Wimbledon tournaments gone by, such as the mammoth 2008 men's singles final, which saw Nadal beat five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in a match that has been called one of the greatest finals in the history of the championship. On a lighter note, viewers of the Wimbledon YouTube channel can also learn how to make Wimbledon-inspired strawberry ice-cream, by watching a cooking tutorial by Jamie Oliver.
Viewers should note there is no pre-set schedule of which live matches will be shown, and when they will be shown, but Google's blog post promises the channel will cover "key moments". According to a YouTube spokesperson, the live coverage "will jump in and out of the top matches", with roughly 20 minutes of each hour of the live stream - running for four to six hours each day - being on court play.
There are some viewing restrictions, however. Live action will be shown in the US, Canada, South America (except Brazil), the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus and New Zealand. Highlights are available everywhere, except in the UK, US, South America, Germany, Austria or Italy.
According to the YouTube blog, those who would like to attend a live match can tweet their Wimbledon-inspired #shotoftheday photo to stand the chance of winning Centre Court tickets.
Fast developing a reputation as one of sport's more tech-savvy events, Wimbledon sponsor IBM is showcasing new technology in 2103. IBM will debut an analytics hub called Wimbledon Insights this year, which will give tennis aficionados access to statistical data throughout the championship.
Share