Hexagon Cup padel tournament partners with Aurora Media Worldwide
Aurora Media Worldwide, the London-based boutique media rights agency, has been selected as the broadcast production partner for the upcoming Hexagon Cup, a padel tournament set to debut in January next year.
Under the terms of the agreement, Aurora will be tasked with producing a comprehensive five-day world feed, delivering live coverage, highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content to broadcasters for the inaugural edition of the event. This announcement follows closely on the heels of the tournament’s recent media partnership with Eurosport, the sports broadcasting giant owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, covering 64 countries across Europe and Asia.
As part of the Eurosport deal, fans can anticipate linear coverage of the men’s and women’s finals on a delayed basis. Additionally, the round-robin qualifying stage will be accessible for streaming on the Eurosport app and the Discovery+ streaming platform.
A racquet sport of Mexican origin, padel’s popularity surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and was included in the 2023 European Games, while the formerly niche pastime is pushing for inclusion for the 2032 Olympic Games.
A padel court (20m x 10m) is slightly bigger than the court used for pickleball (13.41m x 6.09m), the other tennis-adjacent sport that has taken the world by storm in recent years.
Lawrence Duffy, Managing Director of Aurora, commented on the global surge of interest in padel, stating, “We are seeing a global explosion of interest in padel. The Hexagon Cup’s goal is to create a compelling viewing experience which not only excites the purist padel fans but also draws in new audiences who love fast-paced action and are intrigued about this new sport.”
Scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain, from January 31 to February 4, the inaugural Hexagon Cup will feature both men’s and women’s players competing in six franchise teams, vying for a substantial prize fund of $1.06 million.
Franchise owners include renowned sports figures such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Robert Lewandowski and Hollywood actress Eva Longoria. The event’s founders, including Simon Freer, Enrique Buenaventura, Alejandro Agag and Alberto Longo, are distinguished for their involvement in founding Formula E, the Extreme E electric off-road racing series and the E1 all-electric powerboating competition.
With a recent £1 million investment from DMG Media and the oversight of the commercial and sponsorship strategy by US investment company Oak View, the Hexagon Cup is poised for a dynamic and successful launch.
“Having helped a host of sports start-ups to deliver high-quality broadcast shows, winning awards for innovation along the way, we are delighted to be working with the Aurora team to bring our vision to life, and attract new global audiences for the sport we love,” said Simon Freer, chairman of the Hexagon Cup.
This latest contract further enhances Aurora’s portfolio, which includes partnerships with the UIM E1 World Champions powerboat racing series, Formula E, Extreme E and Super League Triathlon. The collaboration with the Hexagon Cup solidifies Aurora’s position as a key player in the production of innovative and engaging sports content.
Image Credit: Jonas Tana
