It has been a busy year for tennis television rights. In January Eurosport acquired the rights for all four Grand Slams, and ended an agreement with Sky that saw Sky Sports customers lose coverage of the Australian Open mid-tournament. Freesports also took the rights to 26 ATP 250 events in the UK.
But there has been one player that has been really stamping its authority on the tennis world in 2017. Amazon. A deal has been announced that sees Amazon acquire worldwide rights to show the the ATP Next Gen Finals. The tournament, in its inaugural year sees the top seven ranked players under the age of 22 plus a wildcard selection fight out in a tournament that will trial a number of new format changes.
The Finals will be shown on Amazon Prime Video, along with a set of three documentaries. The deal gives Amazon worldwide rights (excluding China,) including exclusive rights in the US.
The rights of the Next Gen Finals are just the latest additions made to Amazon Prime’s envious tennis offering. Earlier this year Amazon outbid Sky to take control of the rights for all Masters 1000 and 500 level ATP tour events in the UK. This means that the only content that Amazon will not have directly under its control will be the ATP 250 level events, and the coveted Grand Slams. Main Grand Slam rights-holder Eurosport will however be available as an extra add-on subscription to Amazon’s original line-up.
The move is just the latest in a evolving market that has seen Amazon and Facebook start to take a strong interest in offering a live sports streaming service. Amazon has made big moves to acquire the vast majority of ATP rights, with Sky’s current deal expiring in 2018.
Who owns what ATP tennis rights in the UK?
ATP 250: 26 tournaments – Freesports, (the rest by Eurosport.)
ATP 500: Sky Sports until end of 2018, Amazon from 2019.
Masters 1000: Sky Sports until end of 2018, Amazon from 2019.
Grand Slams: Eurosport (all four), BBC latter stages of Australian Open, full coverage of Wimbledon, ITV full coverage of French Open.
