TNT Sports Inks $650M Deal for French Open
The 10-year deal will strengthen WBD’s sports offerings if the company ends up losing its NBA rights
With published reports indicating that Warner Bros. Discovery is fighting an last minute battle to retain some rights to air NBA games, WBD’s TNT Sports has strengthened the company's sports offering with a 10-year agreement with the French Tennis Federation to add The French Open (also known as Roland-Garros) to its portfolio of premium sports rights in the U.S. beginning in 2025.
The Athletic reported that the agreement is valued at $650 million. NBC previously owned the rights in the U.S.
This agreement with TNT Sports in the U.S. now makes WBD the largest global broadcast partner for Roland Garros building on a long-standing relationship with Eurosport (dating back to 1989), which distributes the event to 55 countries outside the U.S.
Per the agreement, TNT Sports will exclusively present all live action from the Parisian Grand Slam in the U.S. including:
- Featured live matches on TNT, with additional live coverage across TBS and truTV;
- truTV with all-day studio, match and whiparound coverage;
- All live matches available on Max – nearly 900 matches across all competitions – including simulcasts of matches airing on TNT, TBS and truTV;
- In-depth highlights, behind-the-scenes and ancillary content airing across all platforms (TNT, TBS, truTV, Max, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and HighlightHER).
"TNT Sports is thrilled to partner with the French Tennis Federation and exclusively present unprecedented coverage of Roland-Garros – one of the most prestigious sports events every year – across our full array of platforms,” said Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO, TNT Sports. “Roland-Garros perfectly aligns with our global sports strategy and our commitment to adding premium live sports content to our TNT Sports portfolio. We look forward to serving fans with a best-in-class content experience and providing them with direct access to more live Roland-Garros coverage than ever before.”
“We’re very proud to sign this agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, one of the world’s leading media groups. It will enable the Federation to ensure maximum exposure for Roland-Garros in the USA and help further promote the tournament. With this long-term agreement, we aim to win over new fans in this key territory for the FFT,” said Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation.
The deal was facilitated by IMG, the French Tennis Federation’s exclusive media rights representative in the U.S.
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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.