or


[08/28/24 - 12:16 PM]
ESPN and USTA Extend Relationship with New 12-Year Agreement
In the new agreement, USTA will take over host broadcaster duties from ESPN beginning 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.

[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN and USTA Extend Relationship with New 12-Year Agreement

· ESPN remains the exclusive rightsholder of the US Open in the U.S. through 2037

· ABC coverage of Middle Sunday and the Final Sunday continues

· Expanded ESPN streaming coverage to debut in 2026

· Extends exclusive rights in Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada via TSN and RDS

With the Main Draw of the 2024 US Open underway in New York City, ESPN and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have extended their relationship with a new, 12-year agreement that will keep the iconic event with ESPN through 2037.

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.

The deal was brokered by IMG, the USTA's media rights representative.

In the new agreement, USTA will take over host broadcaster duties from ESPN beginning 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.

"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."

Deal Highlights

· Expanded streaming rights, giving ESPN flexibility to roll out additional ways for fans in the U.S. to consume US Open content

· Expanded Fan Week coverage, including daily live coverage on ESPN2 and distribution of the prime-time exhibition events that debuted this year on ESPN platforms

· Introduction of fast-paced, shot-to-shot whip-around coverage set to debut on ESPN+ the first week of the 2026 US Open main draw

· Annual coverage of the final Sunday and Middle Sunday on ABC

· Availability of all play across all courts daily

· Daily Spanish-language coverage in the U.S. on ESPN Deportes

· Provision to ESPN for limited sublicense rights

Recent US Open Viewership Highlights

The US Open on ESPN has set - and kept - some unforgettable viewership records, including:

· 2023

· The Women's Championship between winner Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka

· is the most-viewed women's final of any tennis major ever on ESPN

· is the most-streamed women's match on ESPN+

· The men's and women's Semifinals on ESPN is the most-viewed since the current deal started in 2015

· 2022: Serena Williams' last appearance remains the most-watched tennis telecast on record in ESPN's 44-year history with 4.8 million viewers. Viewership peaked with 6.9 million viewers.

· 2015: The Men's Championship between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer averaged 3.2 million viewers and stands as the most-viewed for the event ever on ESPN on record

-30-

About ESPN

About ESPN+

About the USTA

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level - from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, along with approximately 100 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA's philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.





  [august 2024]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[04/24/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "A Deadly American Marriage" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A chilling 911 call. A gruesome scene. What is the real story behind Jason Corbett's brutal death?

[04/24/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: "Fountain of Youth" - Official Trailer 2 - Apple TV+
John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González and Domhnall Gleeson star in the film, premiering May 23.

[04/24/25 - 08:08 AM]
"Timeless Tidings of Joy," Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Paul Greene, and Natasha Bure, Premieres Exclusively on Great American Family and Great American Pure Flix as Part of 5th Anniversary of Great American Christmas 2025
In the film, Ally (Candace Cameron Bure), inherits Timeless Tidings, a shop her grandmother, Joy (Natasha Bure), opened in the 1940s to sell her handmade letter-press tidings.

[04/24/25 - 08:04 AM]
Video: "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Releases Season 3 Teaserq
The series will return on Wednesday, July 16 and will have an 11-episode third season.

[04/24/25 - 07:57 AM]
"Usher: Rendezvous in Paris" Concert Film Set to Stream Exclusively on BET+ Beginning May 8
Directed by Anthony Mandler, the film incorporates the essence of his landmark cultural phenomenon Vegas residencies into a seductive French touch confession.

[04/24/25 - 07:03 AM]
AMC Networks Drama "The Audacity" from Executive Producer Jonathan Glatzer Begins Production in Vancouver
Set inside the bubble of Silicon Valley, The Audacity takes on the warped dreams, outsized egos, and ethical lapses of the self-styled inventors of the future.

[04/24/25 - 07:00 AM]
Video: "Kun By Aguero" - Official Trailer - Hulu
A biographical series that dives into the world of Sergio "Kun" Agüero - one of Argentina's most iconic and successful soccer players.

[04/24/25 - 07:00 AM]
Video: "Criminal Minds: Evolution" Official Trailer and Key Art Now Available
This season will premiere Thursday, May 8 with one episode, with each episode dropping weekly thereafter through the season finale on July 10.

[04/24/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Tyler Perry's She The People" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Antoinette Dunkerson and her family face an uphill battle when she becomes the odd woman out in the old-school world of Mississippi state politics.

[04/24/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Rhythm + Flow: Poland" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Aspiring Polish rappers drop bars, battle, and craft tracks to impress judges Bedoes 2115, DZIARMA, and Sokól - vying for fame and a 500,000 zloty prize.

[04/23/25 - 12:16 PM]
ESPN Signs "College GameDay" Host and Play-by-Play Voice Rece Davis to Multi-Year Contract Extension
One of the industry's most distinguished and respected voices, Davis will continue to anchor College Football Playoff studio coverage, ABC's annual NFL Draft presentation and ESPN shows at the NCAA Div. I Men's Final Four.

[04/23/25 - 11:30 AM]
Netflix Returns to Annecy Festival with a Wide Variety of First Looks Including "Stranger Things: Tales From '85," Family Tentpole "In Your Dreams," and Adult Comedy "Fixed"
Upcoming premieres include "Astérix & Obélix: The Big Fight" (April 30), "7 Bears" (July 10) and "Splinter Cell: Deathwatch" (Fall 2025).

[04/23/25 - 11:30 AM]
Prime Video Releases Premiere Date and First-Look Images for Raucous Second Season of "The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy"
All eight episodes will debut exclusively on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 27, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[04/23/25 - 11:27 AM]
Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe Return to Annecy International Animation Film Festival
"Get Jiro" and "Bat-Fam" were among Warner Bros. Animation's featured projects.

[04/23/25 - 11:16 AM]
World Book Day: Netflix Announces New TV Adaptations and Impact on Book Sales as "Sweet Magnolias" Is Renewed for Season 5
Newly announced projects include "The Age of Innocence" and "Unaccustomed Earth."