ESPN Completes It's Grand Slam Of Tennis Coverage
Monday, May 12, 2008
If you're not into Tennis this isn't really news, but if you are it most certainly is. For the first time ever at least part of all four Tennis Grand Slam Tournaments will air on one network and that network is ESPN....
ESPN and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have agreed to a six-year television and digital rights agreement that brings the US Open in New York to ESPN for the first time, starting in 2009. ESPN2 will carry approximately 100 hours of live action from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center annually, in addition to an expansive array of digital rights for ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband network, and other outlets and international coverage. In addition, ESPN2 will continue to televise the Olympus US Open Series – summer, hard-court events in North America leading to the US Open – with 96 hours annually.Seems like a pretty bold move to acquire the rights to a Sport that hasn't been the same for a few years, but if you've got three you mind as well get the fourth. Majors are kind of like Railroads in Monopoly in that regard.
This development completes a Grand Slam for ESPN….the company now presents all four tennis majors: the Australian Open (since 1984), the French Open (1986 – 1993 and since 2002), Wimbledon (since 2003) and the US Open – on ESPN2, the Grand Slam Network. No other U.S. television network has previously televised all four events.
(ESPN PR)
9 Comments:
this and the aussie open are my two favorite majors. i'm going to miss this being on the USA Network. one of my favorite play-by-play guys is Ted Robinson.
-dan
Tennis hasn't been the same as what for a few years?
The real headline is that there will now be a de-emphasis on college football offerings for the first couple of weeks of the CFB season.
Someone is stroking us and it ain't Roger Federer.
I completely agree with Dan. I love USAs coverage of the US Open, and it's a real shame that they're going to lose the broadcasting rights to ESPN. Robinson and McEnroe are a great pair. Much better than anything ESPN can put together.
From what I've read, this was mostly USA's call; they want to get out of the sports business.
ESPN needs to get McEnroe and Mary Carrillo under contract.
As a big tennis fan who has watched so much US Open coverage on USA the past 12 years since I was 10 years old, it is a little bit sad to see the US Open leaving USA. USA's coverage has been outstanding and it will take some getting used to to watch the Open without the duo of John McEnroe and Ted Robinson. It was also nice that the US Open was apart from the ESPN-ization that occurs these days when ESPN televises an event or sport. While I do not think ESPN will do a terrible job broadcasting the US Open, it is hard to see the tradition of the US Open on USA go by the wayside
Worse news I've heard. ESPN's coverage of Tennis is an insult to the game. That freaking news line scrolling across the bottom of the screen CONSTANTLY is a major distration. How the hell is anyone supposed to concentrate on what's going on on the court? Buy another station for news only, will you, and leave the sport in some kind of watchable format...
So which tournament is the equivalent of the B&O then???