It looks like the US audience has to go the extra mile to watch Wimbledon this year, as the official broadcaster, ESPN, has changed its subscription benefits. While the cable TV audience will still get to enjoy the grass-court Major on the regular network channels like ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, it is the online streamers who have been dealt the short end of the stick, with the fans understandably expressing their frustration.

Fans who used the ESPN App to stream Wimbledon in previous years needed the ESPN Plus (now known as ESPN Select) subscription for $13 per month, a user-friendly rate that let subscribers choose the match they wanted to watch, rather than a unified stream from the network. However, this year, access to Wimbledon has moved to the ESPN Unlimited platform, which costs $30 per month, and users with an existing Plus membership won’t be able to enjoy the action from SW19.

ESPN has made an effort to reduce user costs by trying to make sure that the audience gets the required access to the platform through the regular cable providers, which would mean no additional costs on that front, but having to pay a subscription rate that is more than double the previous rate has understandably infuriated the audience. With ESPN in a collaboration with the AELTC till 2035, the platform holds the US broadcasting rights to Wimbledon for a long time, meaning the subscription change might be a long-term move rather than a short-term strategy.

This move from ESPN has not come out of the blue, as the broadcaster tested its Unlimited platform during the Australian Open. 2026 was the 42nd consecutive year ESPN aired the Melbourne Major, but users had to switch from Plus to Unlimited to watch the Slam. On that occasion, people could still watch the outer court matches on ESPN Plus, but the show courts were all available on the Unlimited platform at a higher subscription rate.

ESPN is attempting to make ESPN Unlimited the one-stop shop for all of the channel’s sports coverage, a smart business decision for the company. Unfortunately, it has not been well-received by fans.

Fans Express Their Frustration Over ESPN’s Changed Plans

Fans were understandably frustrated by ESPN’s move, just four days before Wimbledon started, with one fan critical of the app’s streaming quality. “It’s what ESPN does best every ESPN stream via the app is terrible as well, they need to get out of the tennis game”, said the fan.

The subscription rate is a major concern for users, as the Unlimited rate is a steep increase from the rates on the Plus platform. “Ain’t no one buying that ESPN Unlimited! They need to hang it up!” said one fan.

One fan pointed out: “Soon there won’t even be any Tennis on TV, the quickest way to kill the sport in a country that already barely watches it”. There’s some merit to the comment, as tennis viewership in the US has increased due to streaming services rather than cable TV. The boom was especially evident during the Sunshine Double this year, as platforms like Tennis Channel saw viewership surge by over 50 percent.

However, Tennis Channel does not have the broadcasting rights to live matches; it mainly shows highlights and expert analysis, while ESPN is the sole rights holder for events like Wimbledon, prompting one fan to walk away from the sport altogether. “Every year they do s*** like this I am one step closer to walking away from the sport completely”, said the fan.

Another fan expressed their disappointment in ESPN’s decision, saying, “Ugh, why do they make it more and more difficult with every tournament? I thought technology was supposed to make things easier”.

This is not the first time fans have revolted against broadcasters; UK viewers expressed their frustration on social media about the partial BBC coverage during the Queen’s tournament, which prioritized the return of Serena Williams over showing matches of home players.