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For Immediate Release
ESPN PR
May 12, 2008
860-766-2000

ESPN Acquires Cable TV & Extensive Digital Media Rights to Tennis' US Open Starting in 2009

Six-Year Deal Completes "ESPN's Grand Slam"
ESPN2 to Remain Primary Carrier of Olympus US Open Series

ESPN and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have agreed to a six-year television and digital rights agreement that brings the US Open in New York to ESPN for the first time, starting in 2009.  ESPN2 will carry approximately 100 hours of live action from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center annually, in addition to an expansive array of digital rights for ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband network, and other outlets and international coverage.  In addition, ESPN2 will continue to televise the Olympus US Open Series – summer, hard-court events in North America leading to the US Open – with 96 hours annually. 

This development completes a Grand Slam for ESPN….the company now presents all four tennis majors:  the Australian Open (since 1984), the French Open (1986 – 1993 and since 2002), Wimbledon (since 2003) and the US Open – on ESPN2, the Grand Slam Network.  No other U.S. television network has previously televised all four events.

As in all recent major rights acquisitions, the wide-ranging agreement provides for coverage across ESPN’s platforms – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPNDeportes.com and ESPN Mobile Properties, as well as rights to ESPN On Demand (a menu of prepared video packages available on tv, personal computer or mobile) and interactive TV applications.

“Tennis has provided many memorable moments in ESPN history, and to finally acquire the excitement and drama of the US Open is a crowning achievement, truly making ESPN2 ‘The Grand Slam Network,’” said John Skipper, executive vice president, content.  “The sport is a perfect fit for our growing digital businesses, and fans will know to find the best tennis action all year on ESPN2 and on ESPN360.com.”

Arlen Kantarian, CEO, Pro Tennis, USTA, added, “This completes a five-year process of reinventing the television and digital landscape for the sport of tennis in North America.  Tennis will now be prominently featured for eight straight weeks on ESPN -- the premiere destination in sports; Tennis Channel -- our sport’s namesake network; and CBS -- our longtime network partner.  This new partnership will provide more tennis, to more people, in more ways than ever before.”

During the first week of the tournament, ESPN2’s coverage will start at 1 p.m. ET on Monday – Friday and will continue each night until 11 p.m. or play is concluded, whichever is later.  The second week, ESPN2 will have a primetime window (7 – 11 p.m.) on Labor Day Monday, followed by 12-hour windows Tuesday – Thursday starting at 11 a.m.  ESPN2 will also televise live the women’s doubles championship on the final Sunday of the event at 1 p.m. and a special two-hour edition of SportsCenter at the US Open at 9 p.m.  As with the other three Grand Slams, ESPN2 will work with Tennis Channel to bring fans virtually round-the-clock coverage during the US Open, each utilizing its own commentators. 

In addition, ESPN’s digital rights include:

  • ESPN360.com can present action on all TV courts during ESPN2 windows, plus simulcasts of ESPN2’s coverage, totaling more than 300 hours.
  • ESPN.com will provide blanket coverage of the US Open, with the latest news and scores, as well as commentary, photos and daily video news and summaries from ESPN commentators.
  • ESPN Mobile Properties will present live action, press conferences and highlights packages.
  • ESPN has the exclusive right to display a multi-court mosaic platform during its TV windows.

 

ESPN International, which already had a rights agreement with the US Open for 2009 – 2012, has extended that pact for coverage in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America through 2014.  In addition, ESPN International televises the Australian Open in Latin America; the French Open in Israel, the Middle East and northern Africa; Wimbledon live to Latin America (except Brazil); and the ATP Masters Series in Latin America, New Zealand and Israel. 

Did You Know?

ESPN’s Bud Collins, Cliff Drysdale and Dick Enberg have worked -- or, in Drysdale’s case, played -- in 278 Grand Slam events.

ESPN & TENNIS

Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air, but it has never been as important as today, with three of the four Grand Slams and the US Open arriving in 2009.  In 2008, ESPN will present approximately 400 hours of tennis coverage, and in 2009 the hours will climb to 600.  Since 2005, nearly all the tennis coverage has aired on ESPN2. 

ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call. Tennis has provided many great moments over the last 28+ years: 

  • A pair of Davis Cup marathons – in July 1982, John McEnroe defeats Mats Wilander in St. Louis ’82 (9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6.  The match lasted 6 hours, 32 minutes and the entire 9:17 telecast was the longest live sports telecast on national television to that point) and Boris Becker beats McEnroe in Hartford July 1987 (4-6, 15-13, 8-10, 6-2, 6-2, in a match that lasts 6 hours, 39 minutes).
  • Helena Sukova upsets Martina Navratilova 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the 1984 Australian Open semifinals, ending Navratilova’s record 74-match win streak and thwarting her attempt at a seventh consecutive Grand Slam title. 
  • Michael Chang fights off exhaustion (even serving underhanded) in a long match en route to his 1989 French Open.
  • Numerous successes of Serena and Venus Williams, including unseeded Serena’s surprising Australian Open championship in 2007.
  • Andy Roddick’s epic 21-19 fifth set vs. Younes el-Aynaoui in the 2003 Australian Open quarterfinals.
  • Arguably the biggest upset in Wimbledon history as defending champion and #1 seed Lleyton Hewitt loses in the first round in 2003 by unknown qualifier Ivo Karlovic.
  • The final 90 minutes of the longest match in tennis history – 6 hours and 33 minutes between Fabrice Santoro vs. Arnaud Clement at the 2004 French Open with Santoro surviving 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14.
  • In a February 2004 first-round Davis Cup match in Connecticut, Andy Roddick records the fastest serve in tennis history, 150 mph, against Stefan Koubek of Austria.  Later in the year, Roddick tops that mark with serves of 152 mph 155 mph effort, also in Davis Cup.
  • In the November 2004, Roger Federer defeats Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6 (20-18) in the semifinals of the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston.  The 38-point tiebreaker equals the longest tiebreaker in tennis history, accomplished just twice previously since it was created in 1970.
  • ESPN2 sticks with live coverage of the 2008 Australian Open through two scheduled breaks, resulting in 14 hours, 43 minutes of consecutive live tennis (Friday at 9:54 p.m. – Saturday 12:37 p.m.), no doubt the longest live sports telecast in U.S. history.  It was followed by a scheduled reair until 5 p.m., resulting in 19+ straight hours of tennis.  The action was highlighted by three  five-set matches:  James Blake winning 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6, 6-2 over Sebastien Grosjean; Roger Federer outlasting Janko Tipsarevic 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 10-8; and Lleyton Hewitt ousting Marcos Baghdatis 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in a match that ended at 4:32 a.m. in Melbourne.  The fifth sets were aired commercial-free.

 

 

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