The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced a landmark, four-year, multimedia partnership with SFX Entertainment, including international television rights, virtual signage, domestic radio and various entertainment projects during and around the US Open. The partnership represents a significant increase over the USTA’s current international television deal, and is the largest international TV agreement in US Open history.
The centerpiece of the partnership is the international television rights, with SFX becoming the USTA’s exclusive representative for the sale of the US Open’s rights for a four-year period, beginning in 2001. The international TV rights include all areas outside of the United States with the exception of Japan, where the USTA has a long-standing agreement with Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). The USTA and SFX will also partner to sell virtual signage in select international broadcasts, making the US Open one of the first major worldwide sporting events to incorporate this new technology. The US Open had a record 29,000 hours of international coverage in 161 countries in 1999.
In addition, the US Open’s national presence will be significantly enhanced through the creation of the first-ever US Open Radio Network, made possible through SFX and Clear Channel Communications, the radio station owner/operator that announced a tentative agreement to acquire SFX earlier this year. That acquisition is expected to close this summer.
The USTA will also capitalize on SFX’s vast resources to strengthen the US Open’s position as one of the world’s premier sports and entertainment entities. The two will explore new, innovative and interactive ways to feature musical talent and other forms of live entertainment during the two weeks of the event, which will be held from August 28 – September 10 this year. In an effort to further enhance the fan’s overall experience, discussions are underway for the USTA to work with SFX on a Friday night concert to kickoff Finals weekend and to create other special entertainment experiences surrounding the extraordinary event.
‘This new deal is a clear reflection of the value and appeal of professional tennis on the international sports scene,’ said Arlen Kantarian, Chief Executive, Professional Tennis. ‘Our collective goal is to take the US Open and Professional Tennis to the next level as a global sports and entertainment property. SFX brings us tremendous assets in television, radio, and live entertainment that will provide our players, fans, broadcasters and sponsors more value than ever before.’
‘We are very excited to be teaming up with the USTA for one of the premier sporting events in the world,’ said Michael Trager, SFX Sports Group President of Television and Entertainment. ‘By utilizing all the resources that SFX and Clear Channel Communications collectively offer, we are able to create an integrated platform for the USTA consisting of international television negotiations, a radio network, virtual signage, and much more. We look forward to working together with the USTA to strengthen the US Open’s position as one of the leading sports and entertainment events in the world.’
‘It is very important for the US Open to be seen by as many viewers as possible worldwide,’ said Pierce O’Neil, USTA Chief Marketing Officer. ‘We are confident that SFX is in a position to help achieve this objective while also maximizing our revenue stream from the sale of our international TV rights.’
With regard to radio, the USTA and SFX are in discussions to produce hourly live radio throughout the two weeks, and possibly live play-by-play of the finals weekend. It would make the US Open the only professional tennis event to have a consistent national radio presence in the United States.
This new deal is among the first of many major initiatives by the newly-created Professional Tennis business unit at the USTA. SFX and the USTA will also look for ways to utilize the use of the USTA National Tennis Center and its two major international venues, 21,000 seat Arthur Ashe Stadium and 9,000 seat Louis Armstrong Stadium, outside of the US Open window.
The United States Tennis Association owns and stages the US Open and selects the teams that compete in Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and the Olympic Games. The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in America and is a non-profit organization with more than 600,000 members. It invests all its resources to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass roots to the professional levels.
SFX is a leading fully integrated sports marketing and management company specializing in the representation of athletes and broadcasters, integrated event management, television programming/production and marketing consulting services in sports, news and other entertainment industries. SFX is also the world’s largest producer, promoter, and presenter of diversified live entertainment. In 1999, nearly 60 million people attended over 23,000 events promoted and/or produced by SFX, including more than 7,800 music concerts, 13,300 theatrical shows, 1,400 family entertainment shows and over 500 specialized sports and motor sports shows.
SFX recently announced that it had entered into a definitive merger agreement with Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (NYSE: CCU), a transaction that is expected to close by the end of this year, subject to the vote of shareholders, and customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Clear Channel is a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry with radio and television stations and outdoor displays in 37 countries around the world.
For Further Information Contact:
Joe Favorito, USTA Director of Publicity and Media Relations
914-697-2327; favorito@usta.com
or
Rachel Gary, Director of Corporate Communications, SFX Sports Group
201-507-6087; rachel.gary@sfx.com