ESPN to Keep Breakfast at Wimbledon Moniker

http://sportsmediajournal.com/ As ESPN begins its tenure as the exclusive U.S. television outlet for Wimbledon comes word that the network will keep the tradition from NBC in using the Breakfast at Wimbledon branding. The one-hour Breakfast at Wimbledon will debut at 7 a.m. ET on “the middle Saturday” (June 30) when ESPN covers matches from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET (or later as need be). It then returns for the final four days of the tournament, the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Semifinals and Finals, Thursday, July 5 – Sunday, July 8. For the semifinals, Breakfast at Wimbledon will air at 7:00 a.m. ET. On Championship Weekend, the show will air at 8:00 a.m. ET with the Finals beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. “The essence of ESPN’s approach as the new home of Wimbledon is to present the Championships as never before while remaining true to the event’s history and traditions, and the ‘Breakfast at Wimbledon’ moniker has strong brand equity with the American sports fan,” said Jason Bernstein, ESPN senior director, programming and acquisitions in a press release. “Our world-class production team has created attractive graphic treatments that marry the tradition of Wimbledon to the evolution of its brand and programming offerings such as behind-the-scenes features, insightful commentary from our talented roster of commentators, and social media elements bringing fans closer to The Championships than ever before.” Chris Fowler and Hannah Storm return as hosts of ESPN’s Wimbledon telecasts, with Fowler also continuing to call matches as well. Mike Tirico, the voice of Monday Night Football who has worked US Open telecasts as a host and calling matches, will join the Wimbledon team in those two roles. Wimbledon begins June 25th.