The United States Coco Goff raised the winning trophy after her victory against Aryana Sabalenka in the final of the women’s singles competition on court Philip-Chaitrier during the 2025 French Open Tennis tournament in Paris, France on 7 June 2025 in Paris, France.
Sipa through AP images
The tennis channel is expanding its deal with the Women’s Tennis Association that will continue to broadcast more than 2,000 matches to cable TV network and streaming service every season,
While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, tennis channel CEO Jeff Blackburn told CNBC in an interview that the WTA was “a big step in our payment” for American media rights, including international tournaments and WTA final events. The new agreement lasts till 2032.
“Our goal and mission is just to cover the game of Pro Tennis and Tennis such as no one else, every day, every hour.” WTA plays a big role in it and it was a big priority for me to ensure that we renovated our relationship and expanded it for a long time because we were able. “
Exclusive rights come in the form of renewal as tennis channels are in the middle of an infection on several fronts.
Last year, Tennis Channel CEO Kane Solomon was a long time. Dishonor From the company. black burn Steal In early May, in the role of a 24 -year career HeroicWhere he helped to make prime videos and expand streaming service among other businesses.
During this time, SynchlairAlong with broadcast stations, the owner of the tennis channel recently considered to launch the network, already CNBC InformedThe original company, however, is no longer discovering the sale of the tennis channel, especially since Blackburn has taken the hull, according to the person familiar with the case.
In the backdrop, the tennis channel, like its network peers, is struggling with the continuous loss of customers from the pay-TV bundle. While live sports attract the largest audience – and the League has paid heavy rights as a result – media companies are focusing on increasing the profitability of their streaming businesses.
In 2014, 24/7 tennis network took its first step Streaming Tennis channels with Tennis Channel Plus, and later introduced tennischal 2, an independent, advertising streaming channel in 2022. While Blackburn said Tennischal 2 has been successful and attracted a young audience, it focuses on beating the recently launched direct-to-conjumer streaming app by the tennis channel.
App, which Launched In November 2024, it costs $ 9.99 per month or $ 109.99 annually and offers the same programming similar to the pay-TV network. Media companies are increasingly offering the same live sports painted on Pay-TV networks on their equivalent streaming options-especially with launch Disney Flagship ESPN App later this year.
“Important about the partnership is that they are committed to more with us,” said Marina Storty, CEO of the WTA Commercial Branch, WTA. “They are committed to that increased risk in all their platforms. They are committed to ensuring similar risk for women and men where they have rights. And they are making a significant commitment. There is a sufficient increase in rights fees, which is a large milestone for us as our plan and commitment to grow.”
The Tennis channel agreement with WTA includes a large health of the WTA tournament outside North America through the season-closing WTA final.
Viewers are growing for WTA events on tennis channels, especially among young demographic. According to a news release, the number of spectators for children aged 18– to 34 years on tennis channel has increased annually in the last two years.
‘equal footing’
Analyzer Martina Navratriva with guest Maria Sharapova at Tennis Channel’s Wimbledon Desk
Photo: Fred Mulene/Camerock, USA.
The deal comes when American women tennis players have shot at the top of the global ranking and generally saw an increase in popularity and investment funding in women’s game.
Already in 2025, two American women have won two top big companies: Madison Keys Lax Australian Open in January, and Coco Goff Crown The winner of the French Open in June. Goff and Keys will be among the participants in Wimbledon, which is closed on Monday.
“Tennis is actually the only major game where men and women play the same place, and it is really important,” Blackburn said. “I think it makes it unique for tennis. Overall the growth of women’s games?
The Tennis Channel 2 Free Streaming Options placed every Tuesday as “Women’s Day”-showing the match coverage of women-and Blackburn exposed the roster of the network’s heavy female talents, including former players and hall of fames Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Dawanport.
The deal extension also creates efforts to increase its commercial revenue and create a profile of its athletes on recent efforts of WTA Ventures.
In 2023, WTA formed a strategic partnership with private equity firm CVC capital partners, which Investment $ 150 million for 20% stake in newly built WTA Ventures. This unit was formed to focus on growing commercial revenue through sponsorship and media rights deals, with the target of tripling its revenue by 2029.
In 2024, WTA Ventures said it is expected to increase revenue by 24% in its first whole year.
Media Rights Extension MTA marks the first renaissance with the tennis channel under the WTA Ventures Framework. Stormy stated that the WTA’s long -time media rights deal with streaming service DAZN has ended at the end of next year, and negotiations for new deals starting in 2027 have begun.
WTA Ventures said that its global audience Cross 1 billion spectators on broadcast and streaming last season, and Storty stated that the US is one of the largest development markets in the WTA, as well as with China and Poland.
“We are a completely large -scale market products that attract hundreds of crores of fans worldwide, and I would say that we distribute a product that stands shoulder to shoulder with the men’s equivalent,” said the Storty.
The WTA has recently emphasized the improvement for players.
This year it has announced a paid maternity leave Funded Saudi Arabia by Public Investment Fund, as well as a new policy Permission Players to protect their ranking during breeding treatment
Nevertheless, tennis is not without inequality issues. While the US Open honored the men and women starting in 1973 with the same prize money, it was decades ago from Wimbledon and other big companies. And while the same prize money is given at the major level, there is still one A considerable pay interval in the lower level tournament.
Sports also criticized 2025 French when open Most primary slots went to men’s matches.