LONDON – ATP World Tour tennis will be available on more screens, more often around the world following the completion of a number of multi-year broadcast agreements beginning in 2011, the ATP announced today. In addition to increased distribution globally, broadcast revenues have increased by more than 50% overall.
“For fans enjoying tennis on television, the new broadcast agreements are very good news as the ATP World Tour becomes even more accessible throughout the world,” said ATP Executive Chairman and President Adam Helfant. “The increased exposure matches the growing demand around the globe for men’s tennis and reflects the healthy growth in the game.”
Fans will enjoy nearly 45,000 hours of ATP World Tour coverage in more than 180 countries through the newly completed broadcast agreements for ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 500 events. All ATP World Tour Masters 1000s will be broadcast globally in HD for the first time in 2011.
The recent agreements include:
* A three-year extension with Sky Sports in the UK, which includes ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments along with the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and five ATP World Tour 500 events.
* A five-year agreement with the Tennis Channel in the United States, which provides for more than 600 hours of coverage across 19 men’s events, including continuing coverage of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and ATP World Tour 500 tournaments.
* A wide-ranging, multiyear agreement with ESPN in the United States, which includes the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. ABC will provide free-to-air coverage of the finals from Indian Wells. ESPN3.com also will offer coverage of all of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events and nine of the 11 ATP Tour World Tour 500 tournaments, totaling over a thousand hours of live tennis annually.
* A renewed three-year agreement with ESPN International across Latin America.
* A new three-year agreement with ESPN in Australia.
* In Spain, TVE has been renewed for free-to-air rights, with Sogecable securing pay TV rights and retaining rights for all ATP World Tour 500 events. The Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open will be broadcast on La Sexta.
* In France a wide-ranging new agreement with Orange for all ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 500 events, except for the Monte-Carlo Masters, which remains on Canal+. Fans in France will enjoy more free-to-air coverage than ever with the addition of Group M6 as the free-to-air rights holder for the BNP Paris Masters and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
* A new three-year agreement with Canal+ in Scandinavia.
* A renewed three-year agreement with NTV in Russia.
* A renewed three-year agreement with Al Jazeera in the Middle East.
* A renewed three-year agreement with Goara Sports in Japan.
