Sky Sports to launch dedicated tennis channel in UK and Ireland

UK pay-TV giant Sky Sports has revealed plans to launch its inaugural dedicated tennis channel in the UK and Ireland next month.

Set to debut on both linear Sky Sports television and its Now streaming service from February 11, Sky Sports Tennis will feature a comprehensive coverage of over 4,000 matches live from more than 80 tournaments annually, including events from the men’s ATP Tour and women’s WTA Tour, along with the prestigious US Open grand slam.

The channel’s debut will kick off with live action from the WTA Tour’s Qatar Open (February 11-17), followed by coverage of the ATP Tour’s Rotterdam Open (February 12-18).

Spearheading the channel’s sponsorship is car manufacturer Lexus, the newly appointed presenting partner of Sky Sports Tennis.

“It’s an exciting moment for Sky Sports as we launch a new home for tennis fans, and Sky Sports Tennis will give millions of homes easy access to watch the best players in the world all year round,” stated Jonathan Licht, Managing Director of Sky Sports.

“This new channel will add value for our customers, enabling them to enjoy even more of the spots they love.”

Insane defense from @clara_burel 🤯#WTALinz pic.twitter.com/xdkIlSZrKI

— wta (@WTA) January 30, 2024

This initiative comes on the heels of Sky Sports securing exclusive rights to the ATP and WTA tours until 2028, as part of a five-year deal spanning the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In addition, Sky acquired non-exclusive rights to the tours in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and the South Tyrol/Alto Adige province of Italy.

These rights mark a significant return to Sky Sports, with the broadcaster reclaiming coverage that was previously held by OTT streaming service Amazon Prime Video for ATP and BT Sport (now TNT Sports) for WTA.

Sky Sports also retains rights to the US Open until the 2027 edition under a five-year agreement reached with the US Tennis Association in December 2022.

Sky Sports Tennis will be available to customers with Complete, Action and Arena packages, offering viewers access to multiple live court streams simultaneously via the mobile app, Sky TV app, red button and Now Bonus Streams.

For non-Sky subscribers, live matches can be streamed with a Now Sports Day and Month Membership.

Image credit: Carine06