Changing Sides

ESPN, Tennis Channel Sign Deal For U.S. Open Rights

ESPN and Tennis Channel further strengthened their grip as the cable homes of tennis by securing the rights to the U.S. Open and Olympus U.S. Open Series beginning in ‘09. The six-year, $140M deal marks the final piece in the Grand Slam puzzle for the nets, as they already have the rights for Wimbledon and the Australian and French Opens. The Worldwide Leader will gain a "massive amount" of digital rights through the agreement, continuing on the net’s trend concerning recent rights deals. The pact also marks the continued growth of Tennis Channel -- airing content from all four majors just two years after being without any. A positive byproduct of the deal is the likely boon for the fledgling U.S. Open Series. The group of tournaments leading into Flushing Meadows will finally have a consistent television partner.