EUROSPORT BECOMES THE EXCLUSIVE HOME OF THE WTA IN RUSSIA

Eurosport, Discovery’s leading sports brand, has added the exclusive rights for WTA tournaments to its unrivalled tennis portfolio in Russia, confirming its position as the best place to follow the sport in the country on all screens and devices.

The new agreement comes in to effect from January 2020 and will see Eurosport cover every major WTA event for the next four years, with up to 47 tournaments worldwide and more than 800 matches produced for broadcast each year available on Eurosport’s online streaming service, Eurosport Player.

Comprehensive coverage of the WTA’s 21 Premier Tournaments* will be available on Eurosport 1 - with up to 350 hours of live coverage from WTA top-tier events - and Eurosport Gold, which will carry 900 hours the WTA’s remaining Premier competitions.

Commenting on the WTA partnership, Laurent Prud’homme, SVP Rights Acquisitions & Syndication at Eurosport, said: “Expanding our exclusive position in tennis is a major win for fans in Russia, who will enjoy enhanced coverage of the best players in the world, and local heroes, week-in, week-out. With ten Russian players inside the top 100 in the WTA Rankings, interest in tennis has never been greater and Eurosport will power people’s passion for the sport by delivering the best experiences and content across all screens.

“We are delighted to partner with the WTA and look forward to maximising the scale of our relationship to super-serve tennis fans in Russia on all Eurosport platforms and devices. Adding exclusive WTA events to our unprecedented tennis portfolio and innovative coverage of all four Grand Slams and the ATP Tour, means Eurosport truly is the Home of Tennis in Russia.” 

"The WTA is thrilled to have partnered with Eurosport to become the exclusive broadcast partner in Russia,” stated Micky Lawler, WTA President. “Russia is one of our top global markets with a history of producing exceptional talent, and we are delighted to join forces with Eurosport in telling the exciting WTA player stories to the Russian fans."

The WTA deal further boosts Eurosport’s unrivalled tennis coverage in Russia, which also includes exclusive coverage of all four Grand Slams and 39 ATP Tour tournaments per season for the next three years.

In the last year, Eurosport has built a market-leading tennis proposition across Europe securing exclusive long-term ATP Tour rights in France and Russia, which commenced at the beginning of the 2019, and in Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden with coverage starting in January 2020. Next year, Eurosport will continue to present the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and US Open in more than 50 markets across the continent with every qualifying and main draw singles and doubles match live and on-demand on the Eurosport Player.

At the US Open, currently being contested at Flushing Meadows, Eurosport will show more than 500 hours of coverage with every match, including qualifiers, available on the Eurosport Player. So far this year, Eurosport has experienced significant growth in digital viewership for its Grand Slam coverage, with a 20% increase in unique views via its online streaming service, the Eurosport Player, compared to 2018*. The average viewing time for Grand Slam tournaments on the platform has also witnessed a big boost with users watching for 36% longer on average versus last year.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

*Full list of WTA events included in the deal listed below, including 21 Premier Tournaments consisting of four "Premier Mandatory" events (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing), five "Premier 5" events in Dubai, Rome, Cincinnati, Toronto, and Wuhan, and 12 additional "Premier" events: