Wimbledon will be on the BBC for at least another eight years, it was confirmed on Thursday. The All England Club and the BBC announced a four-year extension to their partnership, taking the deal up to 2024.

The alliance, which in 2017 celebrates 80 years of television and 90 years of radio, is the longest in sports broadcasting history.

In a statement the club said: “The new agreement guarantees that Wimbledon will remain free-to-air for UK fans for a further four years from the conclusion of the current contract in 2020, with the Championships broadcast across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC online channels and on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“In 2016, the BBC registered a peak audience of 13.3m for Andy Murray’s second Wimbledon title on BBC One, while Murray’s first title in 2013 was watched by a peak audience of 17.3m people across the UK.

“As part of the new agreement, the AELTC [All England Lawn Tennis Club] will take responsibility for the production of the host broadcast from 2018 as part of Wimbledon Broadcast Services, emphasising its commitment to providing a best-in-class service to its global media partners while the BBC continue to deliver a high-quality domestic service.”

Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club, said: “We greatly value the BBC’s commitment to delivering large national audiences for the Championships across a multitude of high‑quality platforms.”

Tony Hall, the BBC director general, said: “Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the sport, and as such has a special place in the hearts of the nation. Our extended agreement ensures the Championships can continue to be enjoyed free-to-air by the widest possible audience.”