Sky Sports ATP and WTA deal not yet confirmed
A reported broadcast deal between the ATP and WTA Tours and Sky Sports are yet to be confirmed by the media giant.
SportBusiness broke the story, quoting ‘multiple sources’ that have claimed that Sky will become the home of tennis from 2024 after signing a deal to show both ATP and WTA events.
However, at this stage Sky Sports themselves are mum on the deal.
It may be that the silence from Sky suggests they are mulling how to package their tennis products in a way that will appeal to fans of the sport in the UK and other European countries.
Amazon Prime had secured a landmark deal to be the sole broadcaster of tennis in the United Kingdom, apart from the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon.
According to reports Sky has already signed a five-year deal setting them up to broadcast the sport between 2024-2028.
The deal reportedly grants Sky Sports the exclusive rights to broadcast almost every WTA and ATP Tour event over the course of the five years of the deal.
This arrangement would set Sky up as the official broadcaster of tennis in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
Among the ATP events rumoured to be excluded from the deal are Halle, Rome, Basel, Eastbourne, Queen’s, Hamburg and Vienna.
The deal represents a possible instance of increased cooperation between the two professional tours to promote the game as the supremos of the WTA and ATP have promised.
The deal was allegedly brokered with the permission of DAZN who hold the rights to WTA events in Europe.
Sky Sports secured the rights to the US Open for the next five years in late 2022.
According to multiple sources, Amazon did not contest the bidding process at all, failing to put in any offer to retain the rights to the professional tours.
Pricing concerns are chief among the worries for tennis fans in the six nations, however it appears that the Amazon partnership simply wasn’t taking to either party’s liking.
Sky Sports have neither confirmed the deal nor commented on the reports linking them to the rights for tennis.
Broadcast rights for the Grand Slams are negotiated separately and will not be included in this deal if it does come to fruition.
Sky Sports are an established presence in sports broadcasting and it is likely that the tour’s feel they will be able to get more eyes on tennis every week.
READ MORE: Coco Gauff’s coach says his teen daughter helps him understand young star