Tennis Channel Launches on Apple TV

In time for the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, Tennis Channel is now available on Apple TV, which marks the network’s first digital streaming partner. Apple TV users who subscribe to Tennis Channel via their cable, satellite or telco providers will have TV Everywhere access to the network’s linear feed though the platform.

Additionally, viewers with Tennis Channel Plus, the network’s digital subscription service, can access more than 450 other live matches from more than 40 tournaments around the world – including the French Open – as well as thousands of hours of on-demand programming. Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus in one easy-to-use experience on Apple TV represents one of the first and most extensive live and archived tennis viewing opportunities available to fans through their TV screens.

The 2015 Australian Open began January 19 in Melbourne. Tennis Channel subscribers are able to use the device to not only tap into the network’s linear feed during the Australian Open but to also watch daily highlights, interviews and other segments from daily show Australian Open Today.

Furthermore, those who subscribe to the network’s digital subscription service, Tennis Channel Plus, will be able to watch live coverage from the Australian Open this year during the first eight days of the two-week competition. Each evening at 7 p.m. ET, digital viewers will have access to an additional live court stream that will continue well into the early morning, coverage that will not be available on Tennis Channel.

Following the Australian Open, Tennis Channel Plus subscribers will be able to watch live competition from the French Open alongside exclusive Davis Cup and Fed Cup match-ups and ATP and WTA Tour events. In addition to robust highlights from these tournaments, users can explore thousands of hours of on-demand programming, from recent and classic match content to episodes of current series such as Tour Guide and Tennis Channel Academy, and viewer favorites Bag Checkand Court Report. This includes archived semifinals and finals at majors such as the 2014 Australian Open and Wimbledon as well as Wimbledon classics. Fans who do not have a Tennis Channel Plus subscription will be able to purchase the 24/7 service for $69.99 per year through the Tennis Channel service on Apple TV – accessing exclusive content unavailable anywhere else, including Tennis Channel. Tennis Channel Plus is available to all users, regardless of whether or not they subscribe to Tennis Channel.

“Our partnership with Apple TV marks a continued progression in our drive to remain on the cutting-edge of media technology for viewers and the tennis community,” said Patrick Wilson, senior vice president of distribution, Tennis Channel. “With close to 90 percent of the live tennis on TV, it’s important to give our customers the flexibility to access Tennis Channel when, where and how they want – no matter if they watch on their smartphone, tablet or now Apple TV. Combine that with a Tennis Channel Plus subscription and tennis fans have the ultimate in-home or out-of-home viewing experience.”

Tennis Channel on Apple TV continues a period of extensive digital growth for the network. It launched the Tennis Channel Everywhere app with a TV Everywhere function in 2013 and has rolled it out to 75 percent of its subscriber base during the past year. When the network introducedTennis Channel Plus in May, it was the first to pair the digital subscription service with a TV Everywhere stream, all hosted in one convenient app. Digital services like Tennis Channel Everywhere and Tennis Channel Plus have never been more valuable or important than they are today – and allow consumers the freedom to choose an enriched viewing experience when, where and how they want it.

During the Australian Open, Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier and Lindsay Davenport; former major mixed-doubles champion Justin Gimelstob; announcers Bill Macatee and Brett Haber; and reporter Jon Wertheim are on the ground in Melbourne for Tennis Channel. The network is covering close to 200 hours of the year’s first tennis major, with 40 hours of live matches and a new nightly lead-in show, Live at the Australian Open.