The ATP Tour, the Super 9 Tournaments and ISL Worldwide have signed a US$ 1.2 billion ten-year agreement granting ISL the exclusive marketing, broadcast and licensing rights for ATP Tour, the ATP Tour World Championships and the Individual Super 9 events.
The groundbreaking agreement was jointly announced at the Monte-Carlo Country Club by Mark Miles, CEO ATP Tour, Daniel Beauvois, Managing Director ISL Worldwide and Patricc Dominguez, Tournament Director Monte-Carlo Open, on behalf of the Super 9 Tournaments.
ISL will develop and market the commercial rights for the Super 9 Tournaments and the ATP Tour Championships and will sell the television rights for more than 40 ATP Tour Championship and World Series Tournaments. ISL will also become the official marketing agency of the ATP Tour.
The announcement of the new agreement, which begins 1 January 2000, is the first step in a joint process, which will reposition and establish a uniform brand for the ATP Tour and create a new look for men’s professional tennis. Among the changes already announced for 2000 and beyond are a new calendar year ranking system, mandatory commitment by the top players to the Super 9 events, rotation of the ATP Tour World Championship venue, and a buyback fund to strengthen the calendar.
‘This new partnership is exactly what we envisioned when we began our long-range planning,’ said Miles. ‘ISL is the ideal partner for the Super 9 Tournaments and the ATP Tour. They have a tremendous track record and reputation in the sports marketplace and great experience working with governing bodies to develop the commercial potential of their sports. The changes we are making are designed to give the fans more of what they love about tennis while, at the same time, protecting the heritage of the game.’
‘We are excited about the prospect of working with our new partners,’ said Beauvois. ‘We decided to work with the ATP Tour and the Super 9 Tournaments precisely because of their commitment to develop the sport for the future. By developing a coherent marketing strategy, we are confident that our commercial partners will be able to communicate more effectively with clients, consumers and fans.’
‘We felt it was important to take steps to ensure that men’s professional tennis could be more competitive with other sports in the future,’ said Dominguez, on behalf of the Super 9 Tournaments. ‘This is a major undertaking for us and we are delighted that we have been able to come together to create such a strong product for the marketplace.’
The acquisition of all the domestic and international television rights allows ISL to ensure the quality and consistency of the television presentation and, coupled with the marketing strategy, will significantly reposition men’s professional tennis for the next decade.
ISL will immediately launch a fully integrated marketing programme aimed at building a group of prominent global commercial partners committed to promoting the sport of tennis worldwide and thus enhancing its popularity and exposure.
For further information contact:
ATP Tour:
Graeme Agars VP Communications
44 171 352 3852
Fran Michelman VP Public Relations:
44 171 353 3852
ISL Worldwide:
Lilly Frei
41 41 228 9777