A four-way, innovative collaboration across Dutch tennis has been unveiled to secure a new principal sponsor covering the sport domestically.
The KNLTB, tennis’ governing body in the country, has teamed up with heavyweight sports broadcaster Ziggo Sport, and the two main tournaments in the Netherlands – the ABN Amro Open men's ATP tournament and the Libema Open (on both the ATP and women's WTA tours).
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Domestically, both of these tournaments are shown live on Ziggo.
The project has been titled ‘365 days of tennis’ to attract a brand that will sponsor the entire game, both professional and grassroots, across the country. This has been described as a unique approach in terms of finding an overarching commercial partner for one of the country's mainstream sports.
Dutch media have reported that talks with potential sponsors have already started, and that the four parties are all aiming to attract a long-term partner.
The partnership has been put together by the Netherlands-based SportVibes agency.
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By GlobalDataJolanda Jansen, chief executive of the Rotterdam Ahoy venue at which the ABN Amro Open takes place in that city, said: “Each of us has, of course, already connected [with] some great sponsors, both national and international big players. But what we still see room for is a partner who embraces the sport as a whole and at all levels. We want to offer that opportunity together.”
That annual event – held indoors, on hard courts – has been part of the ATP Tour since 1990, with this year’s singles tournament in February won by Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz.
The grass-court Libema Open in Rosmalen, meanwhile, takes place every June.
Marcel Beerthuizen, director at Ziggo Sport, added: "We are very enthusiastic about this partnership with the important players in the Dutch market and can offer sponsors an attractive package of exposure and associative rights with, among other things, commercials, billboards, and social media posts.”
In terms of tennis on Ziggo, the broadcaster holds rights to all top-tier ATP action, the Wimbledon grass-court grand slam, the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup, as well as the two Dutch events.
It has been reported that in total, across all of its broadcast partners, the ABN Amro Open reaches an audience of over 100 million via both linear TV and streaming platforms. In terms of total attendance, meanwhile, the two tournaments bring in over 200,000 spectators annually.
