Officials of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and France Télévisions said that they "are close to reaching an agreement for broadcasting rights to Roland Garros for years to come," according to the AFP. FFT Media Dir Michel Grach said, "We're confident of reaching an agreement." At a conference organized by research firm NPA Conseil in Paris, he acknowledged that the FFT "is negotiating exclusively with France Télévisions." Grach said that "an agreement could be reached at the end of the year or early next year." France Télévisions Sports Dir Bilalian Daniel said, "As in any negotiation between a seller and a buyer, the rule is discretion." He added that "an agreement should be reached." France Télévisions's French Open rights run through '14 for €15M ($20.4M) per year. A tender process for TV rights to Roland Garros for the next four years "was declared void by the FFT and the tournament organizers." The FFT said that it hopes for a revaluation of the deal, knowing that Wimbledon's TV fee is €30M ($40.8M) and those of the U.S. Open is €60M ($81.6M) (AFP, 11/27).
