WTA CEO Steve Simon said the tennis circuit is "continuing to trend very positively," as audience numbers are continuing to grow and the circuit is "attracting a lot of interest from the business segments of the world in sponsorship and other things." Appearing on SI's "Beyond The Baseline" podcast, Simon noted the WTA is "looking to see growth" across its social and digital media platforms. He said the WTA is "seeing change in the demographics of our audience," and that is being "driven through the social platforms, which trend a little bit younger than the traditional linear broadcast." Social media is "very important for us, because obviously this is where we're cultivating our future fans and also beginning to cultivate how we address these platforms and put our content out there." Simon: "We're seeing ... a younger audience beginning to follow our sport, and now we need to build upon it." Meanwhile, thanks to some of the younger American players, the WTA is "gaining strength back" in the U.S. market. Simon: "For any global brand without the U.S. market, you're going to struggle" ("Beyond The Baseline," SI.com, 10/12).
