EUROSPORT ENHANCES CONTENT OFFERING TO COMPLEMENT WORLD-CLASS COVERAGE OF ROLAND-GARROS
• Eurosport, including on discovery+ in multiple markets, to screen 350 hours of live coverage from Paris
• A raft of new, original content to be released to complement live on-court action
• Scott Young: We're ready for one of the world's great sporting events, and confident our tennis fans will enjoy the immersive coverage, our team of experts, our unique innovation, and a few surprises along the way to help tell the Roland Garros story
Eurosport’s coverage will be the go-to destination for tennis fans searching for the ultimate Roland-Garros experience in 2021.
EVERY COURT, EVERY MATCH, EVERY POINT – THE BEST EXPERTS
Every point, every match and every court will be live on Eurosport* through discovery+** and the Eurosport App. Barbara Schett will once again anchor Eurosport’s live coverage of the second Grand Slam of the year from the award-winning mixed-reality Cube studio in London alongside seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander. Legendary pair Chris Evert and Boris Becker – with 25 Grand Slam titles between them - as well as two-time Roland-Garros finalist Alex Corretja will be part of Eurosport’s international coverage. Mischa Zverev – brother of world number six Alex Zverev and a popular addition to Eurosport’s tennis coverage across Europe - will be on-site in Paris fronting the Mischa’s Missions series and giving his thoughts and opinions on the issues that matter during the tournament.
Across Europe, Becker will offer his unique insights and analysis on Eurosport Germany’s daily Matchball Becker show. Alex Corretja will be an integral part of Eurosport Spain’s coverage and daily flagship show Pasondas Bolas. Grand Slam finalist Roberta Vinci and Jonas Bjorkman, meanwhile, will be the lead tennis experts on Eurosport’s coverage of Roland-Garros in Italy and Sweden respectively.
Eurosport will screen Roland-Garros in over 50 markets across Europe*, with Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom all enjoying local coverage during the main tournament fortnight.
TELLING THE STORIES THAT MATTER
While 350 hours of live coverage across the qualifying tournament and main draw will underpin Eurosport’s coverage of Roland-Garros, it will be its comprehensive approach to telling every major story beyond the on-court action that will elevate its coverage to new heights. Tackling every story that matters on and off the court, Eurosport will present new and original content, starring some of the biggest names to have graced the sport, that will keep fans engaged throughout the tournament.
Shining a light on some of the most defining moments in modern history, Eurosport continues its brilliant Trailblazers series – produced by Refresh Productions – with iconic duo Althea Gibson and Billie Jean King featuring in brand new episodes published on digital and social platforms.
Players’ Voice has become a staple part of Eurosport’s tennis coverage. Exactly a year on from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, African-American athlete Frances Tiafoe pens his thoughts exclusively for Eurosport’s digital platforms. Polish superstar Iga Swiatek will also open up on the pressures she expects to face as defending champion in Paris.
Available to watch on the Eurosport App across all markets, Building the Legend is a full-length documentary that captures the transformation and modernisation of Roland-Garros as we know it today and features interviews with luminaries of the sport including Chris Evert, Justine Henin and Michael Chang.
Rafa 14 rounds off Eurosport’s compelling content offering for Roland-Garros. Tennis royalty ranging from Mats Wilander and Alex Corretja to Boris Becker and Toni Nadal will look back on Rafael Nadal’s astonishing 13 Roland-Garros titles – is a 14th title in the French capital just around the corner? The mini-documentary will be available to watch on Eurosport’s digital and social platforms during Roland-Garros.
A new original podcast series dedicated to exploring the different boundaries, prejudices and issues that have challenged athletes across the globe, the third episode of Raw will feature Alison van Uytvanck and Greet Minnen on the subject of sexual orientation and will be available on all podcast platforms. The episode coincides with Pride Month 2021 and Eurosport will also publish a supporting article on its digital platforms, written by Marva Kreel of BCOMS.
A NEW CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW ERA
Eurosport’s marketing campaign for Roland-Garros – with the tagline “Roland-Garros Shines Longer” - centres on the new night sessions being introduced for the first time by the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) and how fans can watch top-level tennis from morning right through to the evening. The campaign will be activated across linear and digital platforms.
Scott Young, Senior VP of Production, Content, Eurosport, said: “Grand Slam tennis is synonymous with Eurosport. Alongside our production values that includes unrivalled analysis and innovation, I also believe we have an important role to play in growing the sport too.
“Our immersive coverage of every match, across our linear, digital and social channels, will entice tennis fans. Tennis is a sport that is story-rich and I truly believe we have the best storytelling team in the business. Our team of hosts, experts and guests are world-class and they are all focused on bringing Roland-Garros to life across our screens. I'm delighted with the production plans to date and I'm looking forward to seeing how the clay court spectacular plays out.”
*Roland-Garros will be available to watch on Eurosport across Europe, except France
**Roland-Garros will be available to watch on discovery+ in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Italy