There have been many rumours whether ES is going to broadcast tennis live next year outside the Slams. They will not continue so. Some fellow German posters and me contacted ES and they confirmed the sad news. The reason seems to be the WTA tour's new strategy to promote tennis rights decentrally as we have seen by some of the deals that have been made the last couple of weeks.
For Germany this is very likely to be the end of live tennis coverage on TV. Maybe Stuttgart is going to be broadcasted by another channel but I cannot imagine any other channel to buy the rights for all premier events to be honest. It seems to be a bit better in other countries as we have seen by the deals that have been made already.
For me personally, I will REALLY miss the English Eurosport commentators. They have accompanied me for years (actually more than a decade!) whenever I wanted to watch tennis, and I always preferred the Eurosport commentators over others. The fact to probably not hear them again in the same constellation is the saddest fact about the loss of TV rights.
EDIT
That's the mail a fellow poster and me both receieved
Quote from Eurosport Media GmbH
Quote:
Dear Mr xxx,
the way you have read and interpreted (the news) are correct. Eurosport will not broadcast the WTA Tour from 2013 onwards, because the contract with the WTA for a paneuropean broadcasting has not been extended. Tennis still remains an important sport in our programme. We will again broadcast three of the four Grand Slams (Australian, French and US Open) live and partly exclusive. Furthermore, we will show some selected ATP tournaments and perhaps one or another smaller WTA event. We are still negotating new rights packages, but cannot comment any further on the current situation yet.
Until the end of October we will still be live and exclusive on air on the way to and during the WTA Championchips.
Best,
xxxxx
Press & PR Manager
Eurosport Media GmbH
Original see below
Quote:
Zitat von Eurosport Media GmbH
Lieber Herr *******,
Es ist richtig, was Sie gelesen und daraus geschlossen haben. Eurosport wird ab 2013 die WTA Tour nicht mehr übertragen, da der Vertrag mit der WTA für eine paneuropäische Übertragung nicht verlängert wurde. Tennis bleibt trotzdem ein wichtiger Sport in unserem Programmangebot. Wir werden im kommenden Jahr mit den Australian, French und US Open wieder drei der vier Grand Slams live und teilweise exklusiv übertragen. Hinzu kommen ausgewählte Turniere der ATP Tour und vielleicht das eine oder andere kleinere WTA Turnier. Wir verhandeln über neue Rechtepakete, können über den aktuellen Stand an dieser Stelle aber noch nichts sagen.
Bis Ende Oktober sind wir aber auf dem Weg und während der WTA Tour Championships live und exklusiv dabei.
Liebe Grüße,
*********
Press & PR Manager
Eurosport Media GmbH
For Germany this is very likely to be the end of live tennis coverage on TV. Maybe Stuttgart is going to be broadcasted by another channel but I cannot imagine any other channel to buy the rights for all premier events to be honest. It seems to be a bit better in other countries as we have seen by the deals that have been made already.
For me personally, I will REALLY miss the English Eurosport commentators. They have accompanied me for years (actually more than a decade!) whenever I wanted to watch tennis, and I always preferred the Eurosport commentators over others. The fact to probably not hear them again in the same constellation is the saddest fact about the loss of TV rights.
EDIT
That's the mail a fellow poster and me both receieved
Quote from Eurosport Media GmbH
Quote:
Dear Mr xxx,
the way you have read and interpreted (the news) are correct. Eurosport will not broadcast the WTA Tour from 2013 onwards, because the contract with the WTA for a paneuropean broadcasting has not been extended. Tennis still remains an important sport in our programme. We will again broadcast three of the four Grand Slams (Australian, French and US Open) live and partly exclusive. Furthermore, we will show some selected ATP tournaments and perhaps one or another smaller WTA event. We are still negotating new rights packages, but cannot comment any further on the current situation yet.
Until the end of October we will still be live and exclusive on air on the way to and during the WTA Championchips.
Best,
xxxxx
Press & PR Manager
Eurosport Media GmbH
Original see below
Quote:
Zitat von Eurosport Media GmbH
Lieber Herr *******,
Es ist richtig, was Sie gelesen und daraus geschlossen haben. Eurosport wird ab 2013 die WTA Tour nicht mehr übertragen, da der Vertrag mit der WTA für eine paneuropäische Übertragung nicht verlängert wurde. Tennis bleibt trotzdem ein wichtiger Sport in unserem Programmangebot. Wir werden im kommenden Jahr mit den Australian, French und US Open wieder drei der vier Grand Slams live und teilweise exklusiv übertragen. Hinzu kommen ausgewählte Turniere der ATP Tour und vielleicht das eine oder andere kleinere WTA Turnier. Wir verhandeln über neue Rechtepakete, können über den aktuellen Stand an dieser Stelle aber noch nichts sagen.
Bis Ende Oktober sind wir aber auf dem Weg und während der WTA Tour Championships live und exklusiv dabei.
Liebe Grüße,
*********
Press & PR Manager
Eurosport Media GmbH