Warner Bros. Discovery Secure Rights to French Open US Coverage
For the next ten years, Warner Bros. Discovery will have rights to broadcast coverage of the French Open in the US. This comes after a $650 million agreement that will start in 2025, which gives TNT, TBS and TruTV rights to cover tennis. More notably, it means their Max streaming service will also be able to show matches, amid a wider growth of streamers seeking out exclusive live sports coverage.
Streaming & Sports
Over the past year, landmark deals have revealed that Netflix will buy exclusive rights to stream NFL games. Amazon is making similar moves, striking deals with the NBA and the Premier League for its Prime Video service. Sports is a massive market replete with exclusive deals, perfect for gaining a competitive edge in the increasingly saturated streaming sphere.
Many would say that this was inevitable, given how much entertainment has moved online. Music and sports events were some of the first things to be live streamed, and it tracks that many other industries would follow suit, especially since live streaming became a viable option for online platforms. Outside of sports, iGaming providers host entire game shows through the live-stream format. Shows like Red Door Roulette Live provide real-time interaction with hosts, facilitated through an internet connection and a registered membership to the site. It’s just one example of how streaming has, for both individuals and businesses, changed the way content is delivered to the audience.
Don’t forget – when streaming blew up online, video-on-demand streaming created giants like Netflix, and motivated companies like Amazon to try their hand at the same business model. Now those same services have their eyes on sports coverage, after years of competing to deliver things like movies and TV shows.
Sports events are more exclusive, attract passionate fanbases, and can generate huge cultural moments. For example, an event like Wimbledon is widely attended by the British elite and celebrity class, before its significance as a tennis tournament even comes into play. That’s probably why two of the largest media companies – Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery – have been jostling over the rights to stream the French Open.
Details of Warner Bros. Discovery’s French Open Deal
Announced on the 10th of June 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery now has exclusive rights to broadcast French Open coverage in the US for the next decade. It marks a historic shift in the French Open’s broadcasting history, as it moves away from Comcast and NBC. NBC Sports first covered the French Open in 1975, where it has remained until now. In more recent years, NBC offered tennis coverage through their own streaming service – Peacock.
In 2024, Comcast’s long-term agreement signed in 2012 expired. This meant that Warner Bros. Discovery gained an opportunity to negotiate with its organisers and bag the rights for themselves. Much like with NBC, the rights deal spans traditional broadcast channels and Warner Bros. Discovery’s proprietary streaming service Max. The result was a new deal that came with a $650 million (£510 million) price tag.
As for the other grand slam tournaments, they remain with ESPN. Since 2015, ESPN has broadcast rights for Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. Both Wimbledon and the Australian Open signed extensions in 2021, giving ESPN broadcast rights past 2030.
Wimbledon has agreed to new broadcast deals ?
?? Extension with ESPN through 2035
?? Extension with BBC through 2027Financial terms have not been disclosed. pic.twitter.com/nALPzWNTIs
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 9, 2021
ESPN is also collaborating with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox to create an all-in-one sports streaming service, reported here by The Guardian. When that platform materialises, it may become possible to find all four grand slams in one place. In the meantime, tennis fans should remember to look for the French Open on Warner Bros. channels next year.
