By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Photograph credit score: ESPN
NEW YORK—ESPN will stay the published dwelling of the US Open by means of 2037.
The USTA and ESPN as we speak introduced a 12-year extension—and digital enlargement—of their US Open partnership.
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The pact, which begins in 2026 and is ESPN’s longest-term tennis settlement, additionally continues to make ESPN the house of your entire US Open in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Canada on TSN and RDS.
Monetary phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed.
ESPN initially took over as US Open host broadcaster again in 2015 ending CBS’ 47-year run as host broadcaster.
At the moment, it was reported ESPN would pay between $70 and $75 million yearly for US Open and US Open Sequence rights in an 11-year pact that may pay the USTA a complete of $825 million.
Beneath phrases of the brand new settlement, ESPN touts it can produce “greater than 260 hours of annual protection” within the U.S. with the USTA taking on “host broadcasting duties from ESPN starting in 2026.”
“After many outstanding years of partnership, we’re thrilled to increase our partnership with ESPN and the Walt Disney Firm, a collaboration that has pushed extraordinary progress for the US Open,” stated Lew Sherr, USTA CEO and Government Director. “This 12 months’s US Open is effectively on its technique to being essentially the most spectacular Championship in our historical past and along with ESPN, we’re energized by an excellent brighter future.
“Our shared dedication to increasing the attain of tennis has contributed to important improve in participation. Collectively, we are going to proceed to leverage the US Open as a robust platform to advertise our mission to encourage more healthy individuals and communities.”
The USTA stated the brand new pact has a provision for ESPN for restricted sublicense rights, which might imply some expanded protection on Tennis Channel.
In press launch saying the contract extension, the USTA and ESPN issued these particulars of the deal and up to date viewership milestones.
ESPN-USTA US Open Deal Highlights
Expanded streaming rights, giving ESPN flexibility to roll out further methods for followers within the U.S. to devour US Open content material
Expanded Fan Week protection, together with each day reside protection on ESPN2 and distribution of the prime-time exhibition occasions that debuted this 12 months on ESPN platforms
Introduction of fast-paced, shot-to-shot whip-around protection set to debut on ESPN+ the primary week of the 2026 US Open important draw
Annual protection of the ultimate Sunday and Center Sunday on ABC
Availability of all play throughout all courts each day Every day Spanish-language protection within the U.S. on ESPN Deportes
Provision to ESPN for restricted sublicense rights
Current US Open Viewership Highlights
The 2023 US Open Ladies’s Championship between winner Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka is the most-viewed girls’s remaining of any tennis main ever on ESPN is the most-streamed girls’s match on ESPN+
The 2023 males’s and girls’s semifinals on ESPN is the most-viewed for the reason that present deal began in 2015.
In 2022, Serena Williams’ final US Open look stays the most-watched tennis telecast on report in ESPN’s 44-year historical past with 4.8 million viewers. Viewership peaked with 6.9 million viewers.
The 2015 US Open Males’s Championship between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer averaged 3.2 million viewers and stands because the most-viewed for the occasion ever on ESPN on report.
