ESPN and Tennis Australia have signed a nine-year agreement for continued live coverage of the Australian Open across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+.
From 2023 to 2031, the extension will cover action from Melbourne with every match from all 16 courts, as all singles (including qualifying), doubles, juniors, wheelchair and legends will be broadcast on the platform.
Whilst the 2023 Australian Open takes place next January – tennis’ first Major of the year – the agreement continues ESPN’s longest professional sports programming relationship which originally began in 1984.
Craig Tiley, Australian Open Tournament Director, said: “ESPN has been an outstanding partner of the Australian Open for nearly 40 years and I’m delighted to extend and expand our collaboration. As one of our most long standing broadcasters, ESPN has a reputation for innovation and great storytelling, both of which form part of the Australian Open DNA.
“Together we look forward to connecting with an even wider fan base in the United States and Canada and attracting new audiences across multiple platforms. As well as comprehensive coverage of the compelling on-court action, we will work together to also showcase the human stories, the personalities of the players and their teams, their preparation for competition on the Grand Slam stage and their journey to greatness.”
Furthermore, with this agreement ESPN+ will feature more than 1,300 matches and 3,000 hours of coverage from the sport’s Majors throughout the year, with rights to three of the four.
“We are proud of our nearly four-decade relationship with Tennis Australia and are thrilled to continue our exclusive coverage of one of the sport’s most important events,” added Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content.
“The Open has provided so many memorable moments on our networks. With the capacity and quality of ESPN+, we can bring fans Down Under for every match, from qualifying through the championship of each division.”