WTA Ventures and Tennis Channel have agreed to a six-year media rights deal under which the network will continue presenting WTA tennis in the United States through 2032. The new commitment will ensure that the Hologic WTA Tour will be available for fans to view on Tennis Channel, along with the Tennis Channel 2 streaming network, official app and network website. This media rights contract covers all WTA 1000, WTA 500 and WTA 250 events except those in the United States through to the season-ending WTA Finals. It should be noted that the network is covering women’s events in the country through other rights contracts.
After this new agreement, WTA Ventures and Tennis Channel are going to be working together to continue enhancing and innovating the coverage of women’s tennis. The WTA revealed a new brand identity in February following a season in which live WTA viewership on the Tennis Channel grew compared to the previous year, including proliferation in consumption from those in the ages 18-34 demographic.
“The U.S. is a hugely significant market for the WTA and we are excited to be partnering with Tennis Channel to bring six more seasons of brilliant tennis to fans across all its platforms,” Marina Storti, chief executive officer of WTA Ventures, said in a statement. “Tennis Channel has shown a strong commitment to the WTA through this agreement, and we have a shared ambition to continue to deepen audience engagement and grow the impact of women’s tennis. By securing a multi-year investment from a valued strategic partner, this deal is a significant milestone for WTA Ventures as we continue to execute our strategy to achieve a step change in the commercial value of women’s tennis.”
Tennis Channel, which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, broadcasts 4,500 live and on-demand matches and has rights to several prominent tournaments and entities. Some of these include Roland Garros, the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and it also televises the ATP World Tour in addition to competitions within the WTA Tour.
Sinclair acquired the stock of Tennis Channel in 2016 for $350 million, adding the entity to its portfolio of 185 owned or operated television stations in 86 marketplaces. News of this agreement comes about a month-and-a-half after Sinclair announced that former Amazon senior vice president Jeff Blackburn would be serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of Tennis Channel.
“The WTA has been an important part of Tennis Channel since our first days on air,” Blackburn said in a statement. “We couldn’t be happier to extend this partnership into the next decade. Women’s tennis is one of the most thrilling products in sports and the tour has never been stronger than it is right now. Tennis Channel looks forward to developing innovative ways to attract and entertain new fans — and to keep building on this momentum with Marina and her team.”
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