From Sports Business Daily’s John Ourand, we learn that ESPN is close to taking another Grand Slam tennis tournament away from network television. In 2011, ESPN wrested Wimbledon away from NBC after the network had broadcast the event dating back to 1968. The entire tournament became an all-cable event last year.
Now, ESPN appears to have convinced the United States Tennis Association to make the U.S. Open all-cable as well. CBS has broadcast the U.S. Open since 1968. In the 1980’s, USA Network signed to air the preliminary matches. In 2009, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel took over USA’s portion of the event while CBS continued to air weekend coverage and the semifinals and finals.
Ourand reports that CBS’ exclusive negotiation window with the USTA ended earlier this year allowing ESPN to make a pitch to make the U.S. Open all-cable. Under the ESPN proposal, the network would air the tournament similar to how it produces Wimbledon with ESPN and ESPN2 simultaneously airing matches during the second week. And even though ESPN and ESPN2 have college football commitments in the first week of September, ESPN has promised to air both the men’s and women’s semifinals and finals.
Over the last four years, rain delays have forced the men’s final to a Monday afternoon finish. While CBS picked up the final under its contract with the USTA, its affiliates have often moved the event to secondary channels causing ratings to drop.
Another part of ESPN’s commitment to the US Open would be TV Everywhere rights which would stream the entire tournament to authenticated cable and satellite subscribers.
CBS still is negotiating with the USTA to keep a portion of the tournament, but it appears ESPN has one foot in the door. It’s not known if Tennis Channel will continue to be part of the U.S. Open.
ESPN has rights to all four Grand Slam Tournaments and air start-to-finish coverage of the Australian Open and Wimbledon. It is the lead cable rightsholder to the U.S. Open. However, for the French, ESPN is the secondary cable rightsholder for the French Open as Tennis Channel is the lead there.
If ESPN is successful in gaining the U.S. Open, the French Open would remain as the only Grand Slam tennis tournament left on broadcast television.
