Tennis Australia and ESPN have announced an extension to their partnership, which began in 1984, with the broadcast giant sealing the Australian Open (AO) broadcast rights for the US and Canada until 2031.
The agreement will see comprehensive AO coverage on ESPN TV channels, including Linear and digital rights to the tournament and lead in events, more than 100 hours of prime time matches, including semi-finals and finals on ESPN linear channels, and live stream and on demand matches from all 16 courts at Melbourne Park.
ESPN+ will feature the AO Qualifying, Junior and Wheelchair Championships coverage and extensive reporting across ESPN and Disney’s digital platforms, while weekly highlights will be accessible on ABC.
Additionally, ESPN Deportes will continue to provide Spanish coverage of the event in the US, with broadcasts being available on TSN and RDS in Canada.
Commenting on the announcement, AO tournament director, Craig Tiley, said: “ESPN has been an outstanding partner of the Australian Open for nearly 40 years and I’m delighted extend and expand our collaboration.”
“As one of our most longstanding broadcasters, ESPN has a reputation for innovation and great storytelling, both of which form part of the Australian Open DNA.
“Together we look forward to connecting with an even wider fan base in the United States and Canada and attracting new audiences across multiple platforms.
“As well as comprehensive coverage of the compelling on-court action, we will work together to also showcase the human stories, the personalities of the players and their teams, their preparation for competition on the Grand Slam stage and their journey to greatness,” he said.
Chairman of ESPN and sports content, Jimmy Pitaro, added: “We are proud of our nearly four-decade relationship with Tennis Australia and are thrilled to continue our exclusive coverage of one of the sport’s most important events that has provided so many memorable moments on our networks.”
“With the capacity and quality of ESPN+, we can bring fans down under for every match, from qualifying through the championship of each division,” he said.
The announcement comes after SPORTFIVE became the exclusive media rights agency for the Davis Cup over most of Asia.
