ESPN and USTA Lengthen Relationship with New 12-12 months Settlement
- ESPN stays the unique rightsholder of the US Open within the U.S. via 2037
- ABC protection of Center Sunday and the Ultimate Sunday continues
- Expanded ESPN streaming protection to debut in 2026
- Extends unique rights in Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada by way of TSN and RDS
Watch the US Open on ESPN + All Event Lengthy
With the Essential Draw of the 2024 US Open underway in New York Metropolis, ESPN and the USA Tennis Affiliation (USTA) have prolonged their relationship with a brand new, 12-year settlement that can preserve the long-lasting occasion with ESPN via 2037.
The deal, which begins in 2026 and is ESPN’s longest-term tennis settlement, additionally continues to make ESPN the house of your entire US Open in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Canada on TSN and RDS. ESPN Deportes likewise continues because the unique Spanish-language residence of the US Open in the USA.
The deal was brokered by IMG, the USTA’s media rights consultant.
Within the new settlement, USTA will take over host broadcaster duties from ESPN starting in 2026 as ESPN focuses its manufacturing assets on the greater than 260 hours of annual protection deliberate for the U.S., in addition to tons of of hours for worldwide territories.
“We take great satisfaction in our 15-year relationship with the USTA,” stated ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “This settlement reinforces our long-term dedication to tennis, our capability to showcase one of many premier occasions on the annual sports activities calendar and, because the world’s first sporting occasion to supply equal purses for its feminine and male opponents, The Walt Disney Firm’s industry-leading dedication to ladies’s sports activities.”
“After many outstanding years of partnership, we’re thrilled to increase our partnership with ESPN and the Walt Disney Firm, a collaboration that has pushed extraordinary progress for the US Open,” stated Lew Sherr, USTA CEO and Government Director. “This yr’s US Open is properly on its option to being essentially the most spectacular Championship in our historical past and along with ESPN, we’re energized by a good brighter future. Our shared dedication to increasing the attain of tennis has contributed to vital improve in participation. Collectively, we are going to proceed to leverage the US Open as a strong platform to advertise our mission to encourage more healthy individuals and communities.”
“This ESPN deal is groundbreaking, not just for the USTA and US Open, however for tennis globally,” stated Hillary Mandel, EVP and Head of Americas, Media at IMG. “The brand new settlement will super-charge this iconic, fascinating Grand Slam’s publicity, manufacturing, promotion, content material, and financial funding, guaranteeing report year-on-year progress for the subsequent decade and past.”
Deal Highlights
- Expanded streaming rights, giving ESPN flexibility to roll out extra methods for followers within the U.S. to devour US Open content material
- Expanded Fan Week protection, together with each day stay protection on ESPN2 and distribution of the prime-time exhibition occasions that debuted this yr on ESPN platforms
- Introduction of fast-paced, shot-to-shot whip-around protection set to debut on ESPN+ the primary week of the 2026 US Open primary draw
- Annual protection of the ultimate Sunday and Center Sunday on ABC
- Availability of all play throughout all courts each day
- Every day Spanish-language protection within the U.S. on ESPN Deportes
- Provision to ESPN for restricted sublicense rights
Current US Open Viewership Highlights
The US Open on ESPN has set – and stored – some unforgettable viewership information, together with:
- 2023
- The Ladies’s Championship between winner Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka
- The boys’s and girls’s Semifinals on ESPN is the most-viewed for the reason that present deal began in 2015
- 2022: Serena Williams’ final look stays the most-watched tennis telecast on report in ESPN’s 44-year historical past with 4.8 million viewers. Viewership peaked with 6.9 million viewers.
- 2015: The Males’s Championship between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer averaged 3.2 million viewers and stands because the most-viewed for the occasion ever on ESPN on report
