While one tennis major changed broadcasting partners this year, with the French Open announcing a move from NBC to TNT Sports beginning next year, the US Open will be staying put.
With this year’s tournament already underway on ESPN platforms, the network and the United States Tennis Association announced Wednesday that they’ve signed a 12-year extension to their deal for that event.
As per Andrew Marchand, Richard Deitsch, and Jenna West of The Athletic, the deal is worth $170 million per year and $2.04 billion in total. IMG negotiated the deal on behalf of the USTA, and it will include “expanded Fan Week coverage with daily live coverage on ESPN2, daily Spanish-language coverage in the U.S. on ESPN Deportes and allowing fans to view all play across all courts daily.”
Here are more details and quotes from ESPN’s release :
The deal, which starts in 2026 and is ESPN’s longest-term tennis agreement, also continues to make ESPN the home of the entire US Open in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Canada on TSN and RDS. ESPN Deportes likewise continues as the exclusive Spanish-language home of the US Open in the United States.
…“We take tremendous pride in our 15-year relationship with the USTA,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “This agreement reinforces our long-term dedication to tennis, our capacity to showcase one of the premier events on the annual sports calendar and, as the world’s first sporting event to offer equal purses for its female and male competitors, The Walt Disney Company’s industry-leading commitment to women’s sports.”
“After many remarkable years of partnership, we are thrilled to extend our partnership with ESPN and the Walt Disney Company, a collaboration that has driven extraordinary growth for the US Open,” said Lew Sherr, USTA CEO and Executive Director. “This year’s US Open is well on its way to being the most spectacular Championship in our history and together with ESPN, we are energized by an even brighter future. Our shared commitment to expanding the reach of tennis has contributed to significant increase in participation. Together, we will continue to leverage the US Open as a powerful platform to promote our mission to inspire healthier people and communities.”
“This ESPN deal is groundbreaking, not only for the USTA and US Open, but for tennis globally,” said Hillary Mandel, EVP and Head of Americas, Media at IMG. “The new agreement will super-charge this iconic, captivating Grand Slam’s exposure, production, promotion, content, and economic investment, ensuring record year-on-year growth for the next decade and beyond.”
An interesting tidbit in that release is that the USTA will take over host broadcaster duties from ESPN in 2026 “ as ESPN focuses its production resources on the more than 260 hours of annual coverage planned for the U.S., as well as hundreds of hours for international territories.” That speaks to a bit of a larger ESPN discussion, where resources are being focused more and more on the top talents and events. But it does make some sense for them to focus specifically on their coverage, and if the USTA is willing to step into the host broadcaster role, that might be a better fit for the non-ESPN international networks that depend on that feed.
Beyond that, ESPN will debut “fast-paced, shot-to-shot whip-around coverage set to debut on ESPN+ the first week of the 2026 US Open main draw.” Considering how ecstatic many fans have been around whiparound coverage (even already – existing whiparound coverage) lately, that’s notable.
The deal also sees “e xpanded Fan Week coverage, including daily live coverage on ESPN2 and distribution of the prime-time exhibition events that debuted this year on ESPN platforms,” and “expanded streaming rights, giving ESPN flexibility to roll out additional ways for fans in the U.S. to consume US Open content.”
The US Open deal is significant for North American broadcasters thanks to having a more favorable time zone than other tennis majors (although the East Coast people complaining about matches that run late are always out in force). And this move keeps three out of the four majors on ESPN platforms (the exception, again, being the French Open), gives them expanded streaming rights, and prevents anyone else from horning in on one of the few big North American sports rights packages that was coming up any time soon.
It’s certainly positive for ESPN to lock these rights up long before they hit the market, to grab them for more than an additional decade, and to do so at a price that seems relatively reasonable.
[ The Athletic , ESPN Press Room ]
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