BBC apologizes for Wimbledon

The BBC issued an apology for accidentally airing an unprecedented ATP tennis commercial during its television coverage of Wimbledon last month. The 30-second spot for the ATP World Tour finals was seen by an estimated 2.7 million BBC 2 viewers and prompted a complaint from the ITV, The Daily Telegraph said Saturday. The newspaper said ITV, a commercial network, demanded to know if the commercial was part of a deal between the BBC and the ATP. A BBC spokesman denied any deal and said the commercial for the November tournament was aired by mistake. "Steps were immediately taken to ensure it was not broadcast again," the spokesman said. "This was not part of any deal with Wimbledon, the ATP or the Lawn Tennis Association."