Televising events such as the Miami Open did not fit ESPN's focus on sports' biggest stagesGETTY IMAGES
Tennis Channel is "wrapping up a deal" that will make it the TV home of "nearly every major men’s and women’s tennis event other than the Grand Slams," according to Matthew Futterman of the N.Y. TIMES. The deal is a "coup for the growing network," a unit of Sinclair Broadcast Group. It also is a "bet, and some would say a risky one, that shifting top tennis matches from the sports behemoth ESPN is good for the growth of tennis and a sign that the sport’s future in the United States may lie largely with its most loyal followers." A source said that ESPN "determined that televising the next tier" of tennis tournaments -- including events in and around Palm Springs, Miami, Cincinnati and Canada -- "did not fit with its focus on the biggest stages in sports." Carrying the non-Slams also was "conflicting with other sports that garnered larger audiences." For tennis, there are "significant trade-offs" to the switch. ESPN is available in "more than 80 million cable television households, and more than eight million subscribe to its streaming service." Tennis Channel became "widely available only in 2016," when Sinclair acquired it. It now is "available in 60 million homes" and also "offers a streaming subscription, but does not release figures for it." ESPN can deliver "far-reaching promotional opportunities that a specialized network like the Tennis Channel struggles to match." Still, Sinclair controls more than 20 RSNs, which "will televise some tennis matches and can promote tournaments Tennis Channel will carry" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/13).
