Tennis Channel Now Available in More Than 45 Million Homes
Story Highlights
As it enters its eighth year of US Open coverage, Tennis Channel has become available year-round in more than 45 million U.S. homes, with viewing households expected to reach more than 60 million in 2017. According to comScore, Tennis Channel now reaches 47 million viewing homes as of July, up from approximately 37 million in February, the channel’s last month as an independent network prior to its purchase by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. in March.
The tennis multimedia destination – with more than 6,000 hours of matches throughout the year – has enjoyed record viewing during major events in 2016, as well as significant growth in users of its Tennis Channel Plus digital subscription service.“Today represents a tipping point for Tennis Channel, as our expanded carriage on basic packages strengthens the network in every way, finally leveling the playing field,” says Ken Solomon, president, Tennis Channel. “In addition to driving exponential ad sales and affiliate revenues, this expansion offers the chance to grow our already comprehensive domestic and worldwide rights portfolio and advance the sport’s overall awareness in the United States. As home to over 90 percent of American tennis on TV and industry-leading mobile and TV Everywhere applications, Tennis Channel is already positioned as the undisputed media home of the sport in our country, and we’re now poised to deliver even more high-quality round-the-clock coverage and scale our business dramatically for years to come.”
Tennis Channel is carried on the Expanded Basic or Digital Basic packages on Bright House, Charter, DISH, Frontier, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable, and Cable One, with similar rollouts planned in the months ahead for AT&T U-verse, Buckeye, Comcast, DIRECTV, Mediacom, Cincinnati Bell, and WOW!
The network has covered the US Open since 2009, and this year will feature a two-hour daily lead-in show, all-night encore matches and a new nightly program hosted by popular sports journalist Mary Carillo. Tennis Channel’s on-air talent roster includes Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Tracy Austin and Lindsay Davenport, among other award-winning announcers, writers and historians.
