The WTA Tour has inked a 10-year extension to license to London-based Perform all live int'l media rights of the circuit’s 54 tournaments beginning in '17. WTA Chair & CEO Stacey Allaster said that including production costs, the deal is valued at a minimum of $525M over the 10 years. Perform currently has the int'l rights to the top 22 events, and pays about $17M annually. Allaster said that in '17, that figure will jump to $33M and continue to increase annually. Perform, a London-based media rights company, will also assume all TV production, which currently costs the WTA a low eight-figure sum. Allaster said, “For us it really puts the WTA on the same level as the major leagues. What major league in North America only produces one third of its games for its fans?” She added that every match at every event will either be available for broadcast (900 in total) or streaming (1,100 matches). Allaster said that some of the 54 events are contracted past '17 for their international rights, so those events will come on once those deals expires. She noted that all events also can opt in on domestic rights. In the U.S., where most events are staged in the summer, that is unlikely to happen because of the U.S. Open Series, which ESPN broadcasts. In fact, in cases where tournaments' productions costs are assumed, like with ESPN, Perform will pay them a subsidy, Allaster said. The deal, which allows Perform to sell across all devices, also includes revenue sharing with the WTA once Perform covers its costs (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes the WTA "described the deal as the largest in women’s sports history." Profits between the WTA and Perform "will be shared equally" (NYTIMES.com, 12/9). Allaster said the deal will "give fans more access to the players they want to watch" (AP, 12/9).
