[SerenaMJ]

This is just a bad move, ES is the main sports channel across Europe, it is easily accessible too without having to pay high fees for watching it. In the UK, I know I am not paying £30+ a month to buy SkySports subscription now, it's way too expensive. Sorry WTA, but now on you just killed the game for European fans. Most of us will probably be left with watching low quality streams online without paying you a penny. Why don't they create a separate WTA tv channel instead and offer it to broadcasters? It would be way much better, or at least for God's sake let us buy a subscription online! As for now most European countries are blocked from accessing it.

[TheBoiledEgg]

I dont think Sky will touch it as it will ruin their Masters coverage which is at same time as the WTA big events.

[Elwin.]

So German and Dutch (international) ES won't show WTA next year.
Thank god Sport 1 (Dutch channel) got WTA rights

[Miracle Worker]

Originally Posted by PainfulTruth

God, now Polish haters' club a.k.a. Polsat Sport will broadcast Aga's matches.

Please... Tomaszewski senior and Tomaszewski junior love her. I don't know only if Nowak loves her too

[flareon]

Hmm I wonder whether British Eurosport looses it as well, there coverage is better than International because they are always welcoming viewers onto it If it is loosing it its very sad for me, I can see ESPN buying it, it UK to be honest.

[Kotre]

I'm fairly sure that ESPN have the rights to some WTA events. I think I remember watching Robson lose at Palmero on ESPN UK.

[ShiftyFella]

Originally Posted by flareon

Hmm I wonder whether British Eurosport looses it as well, there coverage is better than International because they are always welcoming viewers onto it If it is loosing it its very sad for me, I can see ESPN buying it, it UK to be honest.

if espn buy rights then they can add WTA to espn player which would be great stuff but i can't see this happening anytime soon

[TheBoiledEgg]

Angelica Fratini (@angelikf)

Posted Thursday 13th September 2012 from Twitlonger
@theBoiledEgg MCS TV Group’s channels include Ma Chaine Sport, MCS Extrême, MCS Bien-être and MCS International and are distributed across Numéricable, Canalsat and ADSL, reaching over 14 million viewers in multiple territories including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel, Portugal and selected territories in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of the acquisition, MCS TV Group will launch a new channel specifically to showcase their tennis content. The MCS Tennis channel will feature all of the WTA Premier events alongside specific men’s ATP World Tour events for which the MCS TV Group own the rights.

[Break My Rapture]

Originally Posted by Patrick345

WTA had to act imho. If ES rather shows summer ski-jumping over a WTA-Tour semifinal/final then you have to protect your product. They basically gave the WTA no priority or protection. From handball to motorsports to youth football to snooker to summer ski-jumping. What´s next? Snow long-jumping over the WTA Championships? I won´t miss ES coverage.

But at least ES actually showed tennis. I have no other channel to watch tennis if ES stops broadcasting it.


Thanks a fucking lot WTA. You've exceeded in outdumbing yourself and alienating a huge portion of your fans across Europe attached to a single channel.

[Mary Cherry.]

Originally Posted by Kotre

I'm fairly sure that ESPN have the rights to some WTA events. I think I remember watching Robson lose at Palmero on ESPN UK.

They have the rights to a few smaller ATP and WTA events for the rest of the year but I'm unsure for 2013. I hope ESPN does carry on showing tennis, I recently upgraded

[Break My Rapture]

Originally Posted by TheBoiledEgg

Angelica Fratini (@angelikf)

Posted Thursday 13th September 2012 from Twitlonger
@theBoiledEgg MCS TV Group’s channels include Ma Chaine Sport, MCS Extrême, MCS Bien-être and MCS International and are distributed across Numéricable, Canalsat and ADSL, reaching over 14 million viewers in multiple territories including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel, Portugal and selected territories in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of the acquisition, MCS TV Group will launch a new channel specifically to showcase their tennis content. The MCS Tennis channel will feature all of the WTA Premier events alongside specific men’s ATP World Tour events for which the MCS TV Group own the rights.

I've never even heard of these fucking channels and I live in one of those countries listed.

[Elisse]

Sad to hear about Eurosport but not really surprising, in the last few years they've been in financial difficulties and stopped sending commentators to tournaments - lot of the live commentary is now done in the studio (Plus they have cut wages for commentators etc...)

[crazillo]

Originally Posted by LoLex

Official source please? Can you post the mail that you received?

I don't think there will be an official source because nobody basically officially announces the end of a deal I guess.
A fellow German poster and me received exactly the same mail which I am going to translate here.


Quote from Eurosport Media GmbH

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

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

[kwilliams]

What's gonna happen to Jo Durie!? Is she out of a job!? Nooooooo!

I've even grown to love Sam Smith over the past couple of years despite her boring voice - because she really is quiet insightful, she's good at her job.

The guys aren't too bad either.

[Pavstry.]

Originally Posted by Kotre

I'm fairly sure that ESPN have the rights to some WTA events. I think I remember watching Robson lose at Palmero on ESPN UK.

those are International torunaments, WTA sells them separately but not many channels buy them. Probably ESPN didnt even had Palermo, just after they saw Robson gonna play there.