Wimbledon matches were first televised in 1937, when the BBC began broadcasting from Centre Court.
The first television coverage was extremely limited by modern standards. The BBC used two cameras and transmitted matches for a maximum of half an hour per day. One camera provided a close-up view, while the other showed a wider view of the court. The first televised match featured Britain’s Bunny Austin against George Lyttleton-Rogers.
The broadcast came during the 1937 Championships, held from 21 June to 3 July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Television was still a new medium, and Wimbledon became one of the earliest major sporting events to reach viewers in their homes.
The answer is sometimes confused with later changes in Wimbledon broadcasting. ITV also covered the Championships from 1956 to 1968, but the BBC has been the tournament’s principal UK broadcaster since 1969. The original 1937 broadcasts were also interrupted by the Second World War, when Wimbledon was not held from 1940 through 1945.