The UK’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) governing body has struck a significant four-year domestic broadcast rights deal with the Tennis Channel, the US network dedicated to the sport.
Through the tie-up, brokered by Swedish agency Spring Media, the channel will for the next four years provide domestic coverage of the LTA’s professional grass-tour events in Nottingham, Queen's in London, Birmingham, and Eastbourne.
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For the Nottingham event, Tennis Channel’s coverage will only extend to the women’s WTA side of the event, while all four tournaments will also have domestic coverage provided by the iPlayer digital streaming service of the UK’s public-service BBC.
The BBC will also cover Eastbourne and Queen’s on linear TV.
Tennis Channel will provide “complete coverage of both singles and doubles competitions” at these tournaments.
Coverage begins today (June 10) in Nottingham, with that tournament running through June 16.
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By GlobalDataThe LTA has said that, in addition to the live event coverage, the partnership with Tennis Channel will provide additional content and activations “to raise the visibility of the sport.”
The LTA is also offering fans a discount code (30%) for Tennis Channel subscriptions.
In terms of the LTA’s coverage of its tournaments in Ilkely and Roehampton, meanwhile, fans will be able to access broadcast coverage on the governing body’s online and digital platforms.
Chris Pollard, the LTA’s managing director for commercial and operations, has said: “The Tennis Channel has a proven track record in the USA, and we’re excited to be partnering with them to bring their same high-quality coverage to fans in Britain. We’re looking forward to working with them to deliver a great offering for fans who want the widest possible coverage of our events."
Broadcast rights to the iconic annual Wimbledon Championships in London, which make up the centerpiece of the UK's tennis season, are not sold by the LTA, but by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). They are held exclusively by the BBC until 2027.
The LTA recently unveiled a five-year partnership with global bank Barclays.
In terms of other LTA commercial partners, Rothesay, Lexus, and Cinch, are naming rights sponsors for the various 2024 UK tennis events.
Tennis Channel, meanwhile, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group since 2016, held joint rights to this year's French Open which concluded yesterday, in the US.
It also holds rights this year to action from the Billie Jean King Cup, Davis Cup, ATP Tour, and WTA Tour.
