Discovery Sports has reached an agreement with Tennis Australia that will extend its broadcast rights to the Australian Open though until 2031.
The long-term agreement that commences in 2022 extends Eurosport’s association with the first Grand Slam on the tennis calendar to more than 25 years having broadcast its first Australian Open in 1995.
Coverage will now be available on both Eurosport and streaming service Discovery+ and will include the warm-up Adelaide International ATP tournament.
Andrew Georgiou, President of Sports, Discovery, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Tennis Australia and deepen our association with them around what is one of the jewels in the crown of the tennis season. We have an incredible heritage in delivering leading tennis coverage for broad audiences enjoying Grand Slam events on our platforms, covering all the stories that matter on and off the court on whichever platform people chose to follow the tournament.
Craig Tiley, CEO, Tennis Australia, and Tournament Director, Australian Open, added: “For more than 25 years Eurosport has helped showcase the best of the Australian Open into Europe and we are delighted to extend and expand this historic partnership.
During Australian Open 2021, record-breaking audiences were reported for Eurosport’s streaming service, via the Eurosport App, with a 36% increase in video starts versus 2020 and an 84% uplift in minutes watched versus 2020. Sizeable increases in unique visitors for Eurosport’s digital platforms during the Australian Open (+61% vs 2020) were also reported with significant growth registered in the UK (+244% vs 2020), Italy (+90%), Germany (+53%) and Spain (+25%).
Discovery is currently broadcasting the US Open on Eurosport and discovery+ across Europe, though excluding the UK and Ireland.
