Tennis Australia and Eurosport announced a major milestone in their longstanding relationship today, extending and expanding the Australian Open broadcast partnership through to 2031.
“Eurosport has been an outstanding partner for the Australian Open since 1995 and I’m delighted to announce this historic agreement,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.
“Finding new ways to tell the stories of the Australian Open on and off the court is our aim each year.
“Each year we push the broadcast envelope to find new ways to showcase the on-court drama and tell the off-court stories of the world’s best players. We look forward to bringing this to life in 2022 and beyond, and connecting even more closely with our massive fan base in Europe.”
Commencing in January 2022, the new agreement includes linear and digital rights to the Australian Open and lead-in tournaments. Discovery will also collaborate with Tennis Australia on a wide range of lifestyle and entertainment content in line with the non-tennis pillars of the AO, including food and music.
“We are thrilled to partner with Tennis Australia and deepen our association with them around what is one of the jewels in the crown of the tennis season,” Andrew Georgiou, President of Sports, Discovery, said.
“We have an incredible heritage in delivering leading tennis coverage for broad audiences enjoying Grand Slam events on our platforms, covering all the stories that matter on and off the court on whichever platform people choose to follow the tournament.
“Extending our relationship with the Australian Open on a long-term basis means we can take this even further, utilising the full breadth and depth of Discovery’s global channels, platforms and brands - including Eurosport and our streaming service discovery+ - to work with Tennis Australia and reach new audiences, around new and different stories, to play an even bigger part in helping grow the tournament.”
In recent years the Australian Open has consistently achieved the largest global viewership – outside its home nation – of all the Grand Slams, with Europe representing nearly a quarter of that audience.
In 2022 tennis fans will enjoy the most comprehensive Australian Open coverage on multiple platforms and brands, including Eurosport and streaming service Discovery+, taking the AO to an even bigger and broader audience.