CBS Sports, ESPN Ink Deals to Televise Pro Pickleball Matches

Association of Pickleball Professionals
(Image credit: Association of Pickleball Professionals)

The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) has announced deals with CBS Sports and ESPN to deliver hundreds of hours of APP Tour pickleball programming throughout 2023.

The deal provides APP and the fast-growing sport with broadcast partners that will deliver 12 hours of live matches and highlight-driven programs on CBS Sports Network, eight hours of event recap telecasts on ESPN2 and more than 200 hours of live streaming coverage on ESPN+ and APP TV.

“We are delighted to welcome CBS Sports and ESPN to the APP and are excited to be working with two of the most significant names in sports media to bring the sport of pickleball to fans across the country,” commented Tom Webb, APP chief marketing officer. “Over 36.5 million Americans played pickleball in 2022 and this media package enables those fans to tune in to our world-class tournaments, and introduces the sport and its best players to millions more. The APP exists to expand the sport of pickleball domestically and internationally and this media exposure is an important step in that mission.”

The APP’s fourth season, the 2023 APP Tour, kicked off in Punta Gorda, Florida, with a sold-out event and over 720 professional and amateur pickleball players from across the USA and around the world. Full details of the 2023 schedule are available at APPTour.org.

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George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.