The WTA Tour on Monday will launch a standalone over-the-top network, dubbed WTA TV, which will stream nearly 2,000 matches from 55 tournaments. U.K.-based Perform Media, which owns the digital and linear rights for the WTA, will manage the OTT service. WTA matches until the end of last year were streamed on Tennistv.com, which is owned by ATP Media. The WTA unexpectedly could not renew that deal, plunging the circuit into a seven-month period without a streaming deal. WTA CEO Steve Simon said, "We took some short-term pain. It's not good when you don't have a streaming service available to you." The site, at WTAtv.com, charges $9.99/month, or $74.99 annually. This year is the first of a 10-year, $500M contract with Perform Media to sell all international media rights. Under the terms of that deal, all digital subscription revenue flows to Perform, not the WTA. The site will be a a 24/7/365 destination, which may expand to include features and other programming in addition to live matches. WTA TV will be available worldwide, except in China, where WTA partner iQIYI, holds exclusive streaming rights. Other networks in the U.S, like ESPN and Tennis Channel, also have some streaming rights to tournaments, but they are not exclusive like in China.
