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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.
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