Stan Sport, the Australian over-the-top streaming platform run by the Nine broadcast network, has secured rights to broadcast tennis’ Laver Cup, the annual men's team competition contested by Europe and the rest of the world, in a multi-year deal.
The three-day competition, now in its fourth year, will have every match from its 2021 edition in Boston, US, later this month shown both live and on-demand via Stan’s streaming platforms.
Named after Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, the tournament was launched in 2017 and is the sport's equivalent of golf’s Ryder Cup, with a team of six European stars taking on one comprising top players from the rest of the world and 12 matches taking place in total.
The event, which forms part of the men's ATP Tour, was not held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic but is returning this year, at the TD Garden in Boston from 24 to 26 September, with the 2022 edition to be held at the O2 in London.
The last edition, two years ago, was shown on Nine’s linear channels, with international sports media giant ESPN also holding live rights for the 2019 tournament.
Martin Kugeler, Stan’s acting chief executive, has now said: "The Laver Cup has become one of the most thrilling tennis competitions on the annual calendar. We are pleased to welcome this innovative tennis tournament featuring some of the world's best players … as our newest live sports event to Stan.”
The Laver Cup is a joint initiative between Team8, the management company of top Swiss player Roger Federer, Tennis Australia, the United States Tennis Association and Jorge Paulo Lemann.
The event alternates between Europe and the rest of the world, and previous editions have been held in Prague, Chicago and Geneva, with the economic impact for the host city estimated at up to $147 million.
Stan now adds the Laver Cup to what is already a healthy stable of tennis properties. It is the exclusive domestic streaming home of the Australian Open in Melbourne, and also covers the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris.
