ESPN to Broadcast US Open Tennis Through 2037

Source of this Article 1 year ago 160

ESPN announced Wednesday it has signed a new 12-year deal with the USTA to be the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the US Open through 2037. It’s the network’s longest tennis rights agreement.

The deal, which came together just after this year’s tournament began, starts in 2026 and includes expanded streaming coverage to start that year that gives ESPN “flexibility to roll out additional ways for fans in the U.S. to consume US Open content.” The deal will also include “availability of all play across all courts daily.” 

That sounds quite similar to what NBC’s Peacock offered during the 2024 Paris Olympics, and like it could involve ESPN’s planned flagship app, which will offer all ESPN channels as well as ESPN+, in one new bundle.  

Rosalyn Durant, ESPN EVP of programming and acquisition, revealed the deal to the reporters present at ESPN media day, as the latest sign of the network’s commitment to women’s sports. “I talked earlier about our continued commitment to women’s sports,” she said. “Tennis is one of those categories—one of those sports that lends itself to that naturally, and we are proud of what they’ve accomplished. We’re proud to be part of their story, and very excited for this to be our longest-term tennis agreement.”

This year’s US Open has a $75 million prize pool, up 15% from last year, and the largest pot for any individual event in tennis history. The men’s and women’s champions will each earn $3.6 million, a 20% spike over the prior year.

The final grand slam of the year has also set attendance records with 216,029 fans attending Fan Week last week, while 74,641 attended Monday’s official opening day—the most for a single day in tournament history.

And as for sipping on the sidelines, the cost of the iconic Honey Deuce drink is up to $23.

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The post ESPN to Broadcast US Open Tennis Through 2037 appeared first on Front Office Sports.



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