Tennis Channel Retains Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Ed Goren as Production Consultant

 In a 50-year broadcast career that has garnered 47 Emmy Awards, Goren is widely regarded for his part in the launch and rise of Fox Sports in the 1990s and the division’s critical role in helping the nascent Fox develop into a bona fide fourth national broadcast network. One of Fox Sports’ founders, he is lauded as the architect of the strategy to pursue and produce big-ticket championship competitions, solidifying the young network’s place as a must-see destination for tens of millions of American sports fans.

Goren helped develop the “Fox Box” full-time on-screen scoreboard along with other innovations that have become staples in sports broadcasting. The Fox NFL pregame was the first network hour-long show and has been the top-rated pregame show for 23 years. Goren also created one of the top talent lineups in the business, hiring Pat Summerall, John Madden, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan, Joe Buck, and Troy Aikman.

“Working with David Hill in launching Fox Sports, there was an energy and excitement where nothing was impossible,” says Goren. “Under Ken and Bob’s leadership, I feel the same creative excitement that is unique in the industry. Tennis Channel is not only the fastest-growing cable channel in the country; its omniplatform approach provides limitless growth opportunities for the future.”

With Tennis Channel, Goren will bring his on-air expertise to the home of more than 70% of all U.S. televised tennis and hundreds of additional digital-subscription matches. The network’s year-round lineup includes coverage at each of the sport’s four majors — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — as well as other prominent events, such as Davis Cup and Fed Cup competition, men’s Masters- and women’s Premier-level tournaments, and the men’s year-end championships. It also boasts one of the top talent rosters in all of sports television, with a mix of Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Tracy Austin, and Lindsay Davenport and award-winning broadcasters Mary Carillo, Bill Macatee, Ted Robinson and Brett Haber, among others.

The network is also on an upward swing, growing from 35 million homes in March 2016 to more 52 million today, with deals in place for 60 million this year. The recent Nielsen universe estimate for February and March saw Tennis Channel gain 7.8 million subscribers, making it the fastest-growing network in all of television during that period.

Tennis Channel’s distribution gains are mirrored by an increase in the number of days of live studio or onsite coverage this year to almost 300, as well as by plans for significant expansion in activity across the network’s app, digital subscription service, and other digital applications in 2017. Sinclair Broadcast Group/Tennis Channel recently acquired Tennis.com and Tennis magazine, the most visited and subscribed to digital and print tennis platforms, respectively, and plans to develop a unified media platform combining both properties with Tennis Channel to establish the sport’s top destination for television, print, online, digital app, and over-the-top (OTT) tennis service in one easy-to-access place.

“Who better than Ed to take us to the next level?” says Solomon, who, as head of distribution at Fox, helped launch the network with Goren in the 1990s. “He redefined how sports television is done while inventing a fourth broadcaster in Fox and is genius in presenting sports stories across all platforms in ways that haven’t been considered before. We’re entering the greatest period of media change in history, a transition Tennis Channel has been running directly toward for more than a decade. And we’ve deliberately prepared for this moment and developed ourselves into an omniplatform brand that engages users at every possible touchpoint. We’re excited to have Ed’s expertise and vision on our side as we go forward; he revolutionized coverage of the NFL, and now he’s helping us do that with tennis.”

Goren was integrally involved in every aspect of Fox Sports. Working with Hill, he helped create Fox’s new look and attitude. At the same time, Fox gained rights to and produced multiple NFL, MLB, NHL, and NASCAR seasons and postseasons. This includes numerous Super Bowls, World Series and MLB All-Star Games, Daytona 500s, Stanley Cup playoffs, and college-football Bowl Championship Series. Goren additionally served on the Big Ten Network board of directors during this time.

Goren joined Fox after nearly three decades at CBS, where he had advanced to senior producer by the early 1990s. In that role, he oversaw the network’s coverage of such high-profile competitions as the World Series, Super Bowl, college basketball’s March Madness championship tournament, and golf’s The Masters. Previously, Goren saw to CBS Sports’ productions of The College Football Report, Major League Baseball studio program, and Heisman Trophy Award presentation.

“Ed is a legend in our business and taught me so much early in my career when I was at Fox,” says Whyley, who spent an early part of his career working for Goren at Fox Sports. “This is a great time for Tennis Channel as we expand our studio presence, and I’m excited to have his wisdom and presence on our all-star team as we advance to the next level.”