TNT Sports Nets Roland-Garros Grand Slam Under Ten-Year $650M Deal
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 04:01PM By Barry Janoff
June 11, 2024: Calling it “one of the most prestigious sports events every year,” TNT Sports, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, has signed a ten-year deal with the French Tennis Federation to add the Roland-Garros Grand Slam tennis tournament to its portfolio of premium sports rights in the U.S., beginning with the 2025 event.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the pact is valued at $650 million over the ten years, up from the $12 million per year the French Tennis Federation had via its just-concluded alliance with NBC and a sub-licensing deal with Tennis Channel for the U.S. rights, according to industry analysts.
The just-concluded Roland-Garros Grand Slam was NBC’s 42nd consecutive year televising the event, with Tennis Channel is in its 18th year.
NBC Sports began broadcasting portions of the Paris tournament in 1975, and had been doing the full tournament without interruption since 1983.
The other three tennis Grand Slams — the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open — are broadcast on ESPN platforms, with Tennis Channel adding on-site interviews, news, specials and commentary, which it likely will continue with the French Open in 2025.
"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,” Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO, TNT Sports, said via the company.
“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.”
According to TNT Sports, “This new expansive deal — building on Eurosport’s 35-year relationship with Roland-Garros — will make Warner Bros. Discovery the largest global broadcast partner to Roland-Garros and it will bring fans the most comprehensive coverage of the prestigious event ever in the United States.
Warner Bros. Discovery has aired the French Open on Eurosport since 1989 and distributed coverage to 55 countries outside the U.S.
Under the new deal, 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; and all live matches available on Max — nearly 900 matches across all competitions — including simulcasts of matches airing on TNT, TBS and truTV.
truTV will have all-day studio, match and whiparound coverage; and there will be 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 said that, “with an emphasis on adopting the latest technology, innovation, and creative storytelling to elevate its coverage of the event, (it) will have an on-site presence, including studio and announcing teams from multiple positions inside Roland-Garros throughout the competition.”
Additional details on TNT Sports’ Roland-Garros coverage in the U.S. will be shared in the lead-up to the inaugural campaign.
“Roland-Garros perfectly aligns with our global sports strategy and our commitment to adding premium live sports content to our TNT Sports portfolio."
The 2025 event is scheduled for May 25-June 8, 2025.
“We’re very proud to sign this agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, one of the world’s leading media groups,” Gilles Moretton, French Tennis Federation president, said via the organization.
“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.”
TNT Sports’ portfolio also includes NCAA Div. I Men’s March Madness (with CBS Sports), NBA, NHL, Nascar, U.S. Soccer and, beginning this year, College Football Playoff games via a sub-licensing arrangement with ESPN.
The deal was facilitated by IMG, the French Tennis Federation’s exclusive media rights representative in the U.S.
TNT Sports Adds CFB Playoffs Via ESPN Pact
NBC Sports, Tennis Channel Roll Into Roland-Garros En Route To Paris Olympics
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