BNP PARIBAS OPEN ANNOUNCES EXTENSIVE BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR 2020 EVENT
Tennis Channel and ESPN to Combine for 130+ Hours of Live Coverage
INDIAN WELLS, Calif., March 5, 2020 – The BNP Paribas Open, the largest ATP Tour and WTA combined two-week event in the world to be held March 9-22, 2020 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, will feature expansive domestic television coverage on Tennis Channel and the ESPN networks, with more than 130 total hours of live action.
Television coverage from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden will kick off on Tuesday, March 10 on ESPN2 at 8:00 pm local time (11:00 pm ET) with a live broadcast of the second annual Eisenhower Cup presented by Masimo, a special one-night charity event headlined by World No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
Tennis Channel will begin its broadcast on Wednesday, March 11 with a full day of coverage of the WTA main draw first round and ATP Tour qualifying action. Live coverage of the BNP Paribas Open will continue through Saturday, March 21 with men’s and women’s doubles final action. In addition, the popular “Tennis Channel Live at the BNP Paribas Open” will be broadcast daily from a studio on-site at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, beginning Wednesday March 11 and continuing through Thursday, March 19, for a full 60 minutes of commentary and analysis prior to live tennis coverage. All women’s matches – more than 190 hours from opening day through the singles final – will be available on the digital subscription service Tennis Channel Plus as well. Tennis Channel broadcast talent for the BNP Paribas Open will include Mary Carillo, Brett Haber, Ted Robinson, Steve Weissman, Dani Klupenger, Paul Annacone, Tracy Austin, Jim Courier, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Navratilova, Chanda Rubin and Jon Wertheim.
ESPN’s first-ball to last-ball coverage of the BNP Paribas Open across TV and on the ESPN app will begin Wednesday, March 11. ESPN3 on the ESPN app will offer more matches and hours of competition than ever before, with fans having access to up to nine courts simultaneously and a total of more than 600 hours, featuring all ATP and WTA matches not on an ESPN TV network.
More than 30 hours of live action of the BNP Paribas Open will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, beginning on Tuesday, March 17 with coverage on ESPNews. Live coverage will continue Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19 on ESPN2. On Friday, March 20 the men’s quarterfinals will appear on ESPN, while one of the women’s semifinals will be on ESPNews. Both men’s semifinals will be broadcast live on ESPN on Saturday, March 21. The championship matches will air back-to-back on ESPN2 beginning at 1:00 pm local time (4:00 pm ET) on Sunday, March 22. Chris Fowler will lead ESPN’s on-air team, joined by Brad Gilbert, Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Cliff Drysdale, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Rennae Stubbs.
Additionally, live streaming of all main draw singles matches will be available via the Official 2020 BNP Paribas Open mobile app to fans on-site at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, as well as via the ATP Tour, WTA and Tennis Channel.
The 2020 BNP Paribas Open will welcome players and fans from around the world to Tennis Paradise, highlighting the idyllic and majestic beauty of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, as well as the incredible offerings that make the tournament one of the world’s most alluring and enjoyable sporting events. For more information about the BNP Paribas Open and to purchase tickets to the 2020 event, visit bnpparibasopen.com.
