WBD extends US Open rights to Europe

NEW YORK, USA, September 11: A general view of Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in action against Casper Ruud of Norway in the Men’s Singles Final match on Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed during the US Open Tennis Championship 2022 at the USTA National Tennis Centre on September 11th 2022 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

Warner Bros. Discovery and the United Tennis Association have extended its partnership to air the US Open in 45 markets in Europe, including exclusive access in 42 territories.

The five-year deal includes exclusive coverage for every market in Europe except Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Ireland. With non-exclusive coverage in Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Warner Bros. Discovery will deliver live and highlights rights with every match on every court available to stream on discovery+ and the Eurosport App in addition to live television coverage during the tournament on Eurosport 1 and 2. Markets including the Nordics will also have the option to showcase matches on Warner Bros. Discovery’s free-to-air channels.

The company recently reported a record audience engagement across many of its major markets following the 2022 US Open.

Trojan Paillot, vice president, Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, Warner Bros. Discovery Europe, said: “As a trusted partner to the USTA, we have developed a proven strategy to harness the full scale of our channels and platforms to screen coverage to the widest possible audience. This combined with our unrivalled tennis expertise, technology and storytelling ability means we offer fans a deeper and more engaging viewing experience year after year. We look forward to further extending our relationship with this historic tournament to enable us to unlock the power of tennis for viewers across our markets to enjoy.”