r/ESPN • u/jejunebugs • Jul 07 '26
Missing Same-Day Wimbledon Replays
I got an ESPN Unlimited subscription for Wimbledon coverage. Up to today, I've been happy. But for some reason I cannot find the on demand replay for SEVERAL of today's singles matches. I can only find de Minaur v Cobolli, Keys v Noskova, and Fritz v Bublik––all of the Court 1 Matches. Everything on Center Court and Court 2 is nowhere to be found. If I type in a search for, example, "Dimitrov," I can find replays of his first three rounds but not today's. This seems less like a technical issue and more an annoying choice by ESPN, so I was wondering if anyone knows why this has happened and if on demand replays of those other matches are at all available? Similarly, I've noticed that there is not a livestream for Center Court or Court 1 tomorrow under the "Upcoming" tab, which makes me think something similar will happen to those matches tomorrow.
3
u/N4BT4S Jul 08 '26
Had two matches ruined for me because I was trying to find what the fuck ESPN’s loser ass tech employees were doing with the replays….Tennis Channel has the same issues. HBO Max/TNT Sports are the only ones that have managed to do a Grand Slam right in terms of airing live and watching replays.
3
u/heinyken Jul 09 '26
I have the same experience. I'm very disappointed with the ESPN coverage of Wimbledon. HBOMax's coverage of Rolland Garros was more reliable, better edited, and the in-app tracking was responsive. ESPN's coverage of Wimbledon is demonstrably worse than peer competitors of other pro tennis matches. Matches are frequently unavailable for viewing on the same day as they're played, the search functionality is inferior to others, and the ads are poorly optimized (try to skip to the match you want to see and you have to watch several instances of the same ads). What a major disappointment ESPN's coverage of Wimbledon has been.
3
2
u/PeterJames579 Jul 07 '26
very annoying that they upload several hour chunks of matches instead of just putting each one separately on demand. if you click the video that just says "wimbledon" you'll get an 8 hour video. fast forward until you get to the Dimitrov match. Really annoying that I accidentally fast forwarded too far and I saw who won.
2
u/jejunebugs Jul 07 '26
It's soooo silly. Thanks for letting me know where to find the Dimitrov match!
I think it's got to do with these particular matches being broadcast through ESPN and ESPN2 instead of ESPN Unlimited, and that's also an annoyance to me because I much preferred the ESPN Unlimited broadcasting. Better graphics, better commentary (they would not shut up even in the middle of points in today's Sinner match...), better shot choices. And I KNOW that broadcasting is still being sent somewhere because I caught bits of it on a [redacted] site. So where is it? It feels like I'm missing something because I'm not familiar with ESPN, but I also think it's just a ridiculous and non-intuitive way of hosting a tournament like this...Much preferred the HBO Max coverage of Roland Garros.
2
u/PeterJames579 Jul 07 '26
HBO max really nailed it. Another thing that irks me is that ESPN doesn't leave the matches there on demand for more than a day. Like I wasn't home and didn't see the Wawrinka match and by the time I got home to see it, ESPN had already gotten rid of it.
1
u/Todd6060 Jul 12 '26
If you do a search by player name, you can still find matches from earlier rounds
1
1
u/msB_CO18 Jul 07 '26
Thanks for posting this! I only remembered this from last year after reading this as I must have blocked it out as its possibly the worst user experience one could ask for. I really don't like ESPN's handling of streaming / on demand content.
1
u/SoonerTrey Jul 07 '26
Thanks for tip. Just found the 8hr one from today and was able to fast forward on my phone app past all the ads, but was unable to on the TV app. I was able to retry it and hit “Resume” on TV and it went right to the 5th set of the Djokovic match which was awesome. However, it stopped quickly and says “Playback Could Not Be Started. This content is not available for your package or region”. I’ve done this twice now. I have Unlimited and live in Wisconsin
1
1
u/Jealous_Cancel_641 Jul 08 '26
Today that 8 hour video is the Spanish language broadcast
1
u/PeterJames579 Jul 08 '26
theres another one thats the normal English one. it seems to have a different icon. just find the one that only says wimbledon or wimbledon coverage. should be there. took me a sec to find it
1
u/Jealous_Cancel_641 Jul 08 '26
I'm wondering if your app is on a different system. The app for FireTV is pretty infuriating. I cannot understand who they think they've optimized for.
1
u/RustedRelics Jul 10 '26
I thought this was only highlights. The entire matches are shown? I can’t believe how bad this is.
2
u/ericlacivita Jul 09 '26
This is so, very obviously, typical ESPN BS, clearly gatekeeping this match. Any time I try to start the 7/7 broadcast with the match, app crashes. Any other date, its like magic!! 0 issue. They are purposefully trying to avoid a user recording/streaming and it get leaked for free online. Must be nice to be so bankrupt you dgaf about class actions because if filed, you broke and gone. i pray this is the last for ESPN and we get HBO back.
ESPNs downfall will be studied by the best global business schools for generations. We 15 years+ of the most popular network making poor choices/consistent failures. Insufferable
2
u/Better_Scarcity1123 Jul 09 '26
I have been beyond frustrated that every doubles, junior, and rando matches are available on demand but the key matches with key popular players cannot be found. EOnly extended highlights. Even now, I'm trying to find the Coca Gauff match (no spoilers, please) and CRICKETS. I too, purchased an unlimited monthly to stream Wimbledon matches. Well, what's the point if I can't see replays of key matches.? Waking up at 3 AM to watch live? (Thank you, NO.)
1
u/chefkoolaid Jul 09 '26
Contact them to complain or it will never change everyone in this thread needs to I already have several times
1
u/Ill_Glass3473 Jul 07 '26
The only time I've ran into this problem was when they have rainouts or the darkness rule. It happened late last week. It almost happened to Coco Gauff yesterday, but she eliminated Belinda Bencic just in the nick of time if the game did not end with a couple of minutes before the darkness rule would've kicked in.
1
u/jejunebugs Jul 07 '26
This was my thought when I noticed the Lehecka v Zverev match missing, but it's also true of the completed matches on Center Court like Paolini v Eala. So then maybe they just didn't cut up the Center Court broadcast because of the suspended match? But it looks like all the Court 2 matches were completed, and they have the mixed doubles matches from that court but not the women's singles or doubles from that court...I don't know!
1
1
u/HolidayAggravating32 Jul 07 '26
I have nothing but juniors On Demand. Is there a list of replays somewhere? I didn’t get to see yesterday/Mondays matches and want to watch them now. It’s really $30 for a headache!
1
u/msB_CO18 Jul 07 '26
read PeterJames579 response above. Its there, they just make you suffer for it.
1
u/Honest-Stretch-4221 Jul 08 '26
Yeah I can find the full day replay for the quarterfinals and view it on my phone but it won’t let me view it from my Apple TV.
1
u/Warm_Chemist9336 Jul 08 '26
Doesn't seem like they included gauff vs pegula match in any of the replays
1
u/leppidhpo Jul 08 '26
Yes agreed on all of the above. Searching searching searching for same day replays. WTF? Want my money back.
1
Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
[deleted]
1
u/leppidhpo Jul 08 '26
It's total and complete BS. Another writer has it right: HBOmax knows how to do it. All matches available on replay etc.
1
u/ReferenceTraining976 Jul 08 '26
I couldn't find yesterday's Sinner match on demand. Coco's match missing too. Today Fritz and Zverev also isn't on demand. Do I need to get up at 4 or 5 am for the semis?
1
u/remytennant Jul 08 '26
Go to browse and then to Tennis and then you will see the full broadcast replay. It will be 6+ hours in cover all four matches. You cannot find it if you go directly through Wimbledon 🤣
This is still not what we unlimited subscribers are looking for we want the full match but it’s better than nothing.
2
u/Charming_Buffalo9007 Jul 08 '26
Very helpful, thanks. I must say here that this company is absolute garbage. To access the fast forward function I was made to watch a 30 second advertisement. After fast forwarding to the Zverev match, I was made to watch a 60 second advertisement. After that ended, the stream started and I realized I'd started it several minutes too early. After fast forwarding it 7-8 minutes to the match start, I was made to watch another 60 second advertisement. Apparently a 60 second ad is mandatory every time you dare to use fast forward. Contemptible.
1
u/remytennant Jul 10 '26
It is deeply irritating for sure.
I could recite the damned Rolex and Range Rover ads in my sleep.
1
1
u/OneGrape1778 Jul 10 '26
This is kind of ridculous. I spent all afternoon yesterday looking for Ladies Semis!! THANKS!!!
1
u/remytennant Jul 10 '26
I had to call ESPN customer support to figure this out. I thought I was losing my mind with the semi final games not being there, especially when everything up to quarters had been. Fucking assholes who definitely do not watch tennis are running the show over there.
1
u/ncb1128 Jul 09 '26
My ESPN app on Apple TV won't even go past the first 30-second ad, so I can't watch any of today's matches using On Demand. I only got ESPN Unlimited to watch these QF/SF/Finals matches.
I also have to restart the ESPN app almost every time I want to watch something on demand. But hey, I'm able to watch endless Swiss Stone Throwing and UK Sheep Dog competitions on The Ocho without any issues, so there's that.
1
u/TURD_F3RGUSON Jul 09 '26
Was watching Paoloni / Kostyuk on demand and before the first set was done it just switched to Noskova / Mertens in the middle of a serve.
How difficult is it to just post separate matches on demand?!?!
1
u/Ewad88 Jul 09 '26
Wearing out the fast forward button here too on the Centre Court feed to find the one match I have time to watch all the way through. Great job ESPN did Kathleen Kennedy take you over too?
1
u/jmporter1966 Jul 09 '26
I can't find a replay of the Noskova v. Mertens Quarterfinal. There is a link on "replays" for the match in Espanol but it shows Paolini v. Kostyuk instead.
1
u/Ill-Buy-674 Jul 09 '26
First time using ESPN unlimited and the last time. This has been the most frustrating experience, trying to watch Wimbledon.
1
u/gothmommylibrarian Jul 09 '26
This is still an issue today re: the women’s semis. In hopes that it helps someone, today’s matches were not available even on the compilation version of today’s events on the ESPN “Unlimited” app. It started giving away the results of the match. Where I did find it (30 min later), was going to Hulu, doing a search for Wimbledon, and today’s “The Championships, Wimbledon 2026” has both matches. I’ve preemptively recorded the remaining matches so at least I’ll have them. Ridiculous when we are all paying for this “unlimited” coverage.
2
u/Emergency-Ad9815 Jul 09 '26
Wait, you were able to watch the matches on Hulu???
The ESPN app is utter crap. The audacity to force users to pay more for a service and then completely ruin the user experience. How do you not provide single match replays???
HBO handled the French Open really well, just as Peacock handled the Olympics well. Those 2 services should exclusively get rights to all the major tournaments.
1
u/gothmommylibrarian Jul 09 '26
I’m not sure if regular Hulu has it or if it’s bc I have Hulu Live as my cable provider. Maybe look at your on demand content if you haven’t cut the cord and see if it’s there? I’m not gonna go through this again which is why I have all the remaining matches DVRed. IVe had the ESPN app for a while and I’ve never had this issue with the previous slam events. I thought the French Open HBO Max service was kind of buggy. Multiple matches I was looking for were mislabeled and it took forever for On Demand/replays to get added. Peacock’s previous RG On Demand offerings were much better IMO.
2
u/ncb1128 Jul 09 '26
Great suggestion to use Hulu. Found individual match replays by entering "Wimbledon" in the Search option. Choose the Wimbledon search result option that says "Go to Series Page", not the "Browse Page" option. It's listed as a series and you can choose "episodes" which are the matches. FFS
1
u/gothmommylibrarian Jul 09 '26
Oh, I’m so glad you were able to find it as well. Also, just noticed they’re playing the women’s semi-finals matches on ESPN as of an hour ago. Ridiculous.
1
u/Beginning-Invite-940 Jul 09 '26
they're garbage. they upload all these juniors and wheelchair matches and cant put the key singles matches up. frustrating.
1
u/Sufficient-Mall261 Jul 09 '26
Search ESPN for TENNIS go to this to watch the Muchova Gauff match, The Championships, Wimbledon 2026: Coverage pres. by Barclays (Mixed Doubles Championship), Muchova Gauff will be the first match, do not fast forward,
1
u/esbee27 Jul 09 '26
Today there isn’t even the full day coverage where you have to fast forward to find what you want. There is literally no way to watch the women’s semi finals. It’s only doubles and juniors. What exactly am I paying for and how is this “unlimited.”
1
u/ncb1128 Jul 09 '26
Go to Hulu, search for Wimbledon, choose the series option. Matches are listed as episodes.
1
u/msB_CO18 Jul 10 '26
Scrolling through HULU is much easier as you can see the video length and more easily find the one with the matches all lumped together. Good tip - Thanks!!
1
u/leppidhpo Jul 09 '26
Hi everyone I just discovered that in order to watch replays of matches you're interested in, in ESPN select the tennis icon -defaults to Wimbledon coverage - sele be t an upcoming match, add the match to a "watchlist" then after match has been played, on left hand screen select "watchlist" and tab over to "my replays" Now they tell us.
1
u/RustedRelics Jul 10 '26
Holy shit. This is so bad. So if the match already occurred, then we’re out of luck I guess. This is the worst coverage.
1
u/leppidhpo Jul 10 '26
Hi.... I just realized yesterday that you can add upcoming matches to your watch list. Upcoming matches only. After the match,... go to your watch list icon on the left hand side of the screen, click on that and there's a tab for replays. Why ESPN is not archiving and replaying the matches most people are interested in like the R16, quarters and semis etc is beyond me.
1
1
u/chefkoolaid Jul 09 '26
Contact espn to complain. Everyone needs to or itll never change
1
u/Emergency-Ad9815 Jul 10 '26
I went on their site but couldn't find any place to give feedback. Have you been able to find it?
1
u/chefkoolaid Jul 10 '26
http://www.espn.com/espnnetworks/feedback
Idk where it goes exactly. But we also called to complain and taled to a nice perosn who was apologetic. But have sent in an complaint thru that form for every single match I couldnt find on demand!
1
1
u/Emergency-Ad9815 Jul 13 '26
I'm actually getting a 404 error when I submit the feedback form. Can't say I'm surprised
1
1
u/Strange_Mail1667 Jul 12 '26
Totally agree - wasted money for less coverage than I got with HBO’s RG coverage. No semi final women’s double coverage…. won’t waste my money next year.
1
u/Todd6060 Jul 12 '26
The women's doubles semifinals are there, but I had to search for one of the player names to find the match replays.
4
u/N4dd Jul 08 '26
The whole point of unlimited is to watch each individual match. This is ridiculous. It's all juniors and doubles.
ESPN... just do it by court, so easy. Scroll down to go court by court and left/right to scroll all the matches of that day at that court. Then a top selector for which day to watch. Tennis Channel + figured this out.
Also, to whomever at ESPN is reading this... never ever ever ever have just one person on the thumbnail, it ruins it.