The ATP has partnered with sports media company Overtime to appeal to younger audiences through ‘behind-the-scenes’ tennis content.
At the centre court of this deal is the launch of new Overtime tennis platforms across social media, which will feature popular Overtime talent and some of the biggest names in tennis. This initiative aims to appeal to younger audiences and grow the sport of tennis as a whole.
Massimo Calvelli, CEO of ATP, commented: “Entertainment is what brings new fans to the game, and partnering with Overtime takes this to the next level. We’re huge fans of what they do, and we’ve had ambitions to collaborate for a long time. It’s of great personal satisfaction to see it happen. We’re going to tell great stories together and bring the ATP Tour to a whole new generation of fans.”
Overtime, established in 2016, creates short-form videos, social media posts and digital content focused on a range of sports.
This partnership will see Overtime produce content at global ATP Tour events, including ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, the Nitto ATP Finals and the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
Short-form content will highlight the sport’s biggest stars and be shared across Overtime’s social channels, as well as the ATP Tour, tournament and player platforms. Additionally, the ATP and Overtime stated there will be opportunities for longer-form content that brings tennis and its stars closer to fans.
Farzeen Ghorashy, President of Overtime, said: “Overtime is the brand for the next generation of sports fans, and we’re excited to partner with the ATP to inspire young fans through a global sport featuring some of the most followed and admired sports personalities. This partnership unites Overtime’s focus on the next generation with the ATP’s mission to inspire future tennis players and fans worldwide.”
A rally of recent success
The ATP has celebrated a lot of commercial success, as of late. Last year, the tennis organisation signed nine new partnerships, including deals with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Lexus and Yokohama.
These deals helped see the ATP Tour grow its sponsorship revenues by 50% compared to the previous year, with an 89% increase projected by 2026. The organisation attributed this growth to its OneVison strategic plan.
In addition, ATP reported record growth on its digital and social media platforms. Followers grew by 7% to 9.7 million across the year, with video views up by 159% and its reach increasing 48% 2.9 billion from the previous year.
