Amazon has taken the UK rights to the US Open, freezing out Eurosport which announced it had secured the tennis Grand Slam in continental Europe.
It follows Amazon’s acquisition of the ATP Tennis tour in the summer, outbidding Sky, which is now in the final year of its contract. Sky has also screened the US Open, taking first pick of matches that were then also made available to its rival.
The move has sparked renewed speculation as to whether Amazon will now go on to make a bid for other sporting rights, including the Premier League.
Tennis is a key sport for the Discovery-owned sports channel that also holds the rights to broadcast the Australian Open and Roland Garros across over 50 European countries as well as The Championships from Wimbledon in 34 countries and territories in Europe.
Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton said: “The US Open is always a special occasion, an invitation to the world to join a two-week party to conclude the story of the Grand Slam year. We are excited to extend our partnership with the USTA until 2022 and strengthen our position as the place for fans in Europe to follow every thrilling moment of Grand Slam action.
Amazon has not made any comment.
