Six-year deal between WTA Ventures and Tennis Channel brings increased investment and exposure for women's tennis
As a result of the significant new commitment, the drama and entertainment of the Hologic WTA Tour will be available to tennis fans across the United States through Tennis Channel, its streaming network TennisChannel 2, its app and website TennisChannel.com. The deal covers all WTA 1000, 500 and 250 events (except tournaments in the United States) through to the season-closing WTA Finals where the world's best singles players and doubles teams battle to be crowned as year-end champions. (The network covers women's events in the United States through other rights contracts.)
Following the new agreement, WTA Ventures and Tennis Channel will work together to continue to enhance and innovate coverage of women's tennis, engaging fans and promoting the game to new audiences. These combined efforts will build on the launch of the WTA's bold new brand identity and the strong growth of women's tennis in the United States, where live WTA viewership on Tennis Channel continues to grow in 2025 on top of the prior increase in 2024. This positive trend includes spectacular growth among younger audiences, with live WTA viewership among 18-34s up annually since 2023.
With four U.S. players currently in the top 10 of the PIF WTA Singles Rankings, including 2024 WTA Finals Riyadh champion Coco Gauff, the profile of women's tennis has benefited from Tennis Channel's Women's Day programming since June 2024, with every Tuesday dedicated exclusively to women's competition on TennisChannel 2, which is widely available throughout the United States for free. Under the new deal, Tennis Channel will continue to broaden exposure and ensure parity of coverage between the women's and men's tours, as well as increase distribution as part of its strategic growth and expansion across digital and streaming platforms, led by its new Chairman and CEO Jeff Blackburn.
Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, said: 'The U.S. is a hugely significant market for the WTA and we are excited to be partnering with Tennis Channel to bring six more seasons of brilliant tennis to fans across all its platforms. Tennis Channel has shown a strong commitment to the WTA through this agreement, and we have a shared ambition to continue to deepen audience engagement and grow the impact of women's tennis. By securing a multi-year investment from a valued strategic partner, this deal is a significant milestone for WTA Ventures as we continue to execute our strategy to achieve a step change in the commercial value of women's tennis.'
'The WTA has been an important part of Tennis Channel since our first days on air. We couldn't be happier to extend this partnership into the next decade,' said Blackburn. 'Women's tennis is one of the most thrilling products in sports and the tour has never been stronger than it is right now. Tennis Channel looks forward to developing innovative ways to attract and entertain new fans — and to keep building on this momentum with Marina and her team.'
IMG acted as an advisor to WTA Ventures through the deal process.
About the WTA
The WTA is the original game-changer for women's sport. Founded in 1973 by the visionary Billie Jean King, the WTA was created to build equal opportunities for women in tennis, and we've been breaking boundaries ever since. Today we're the powerhouse of women's professional sports, uniting athletes in fearless competition and bringing people together through the love of tennis. The Hologic WTA Tour shares the thrill of every serve, rally and match point with an audience of more than one billion around the world. Players compete for PIF WTA ranking points in tournament arenas on six continents before the season hits its peak at the WTA Finals, where the best singles and doubles superstars battle to be crowned as year-end champions. Our ambitions go well beyond the court. We are champions for our 1,600 incredible athletes and drivers of change through advocacy and action for women's health and empowerment across the globe. Rally the world: wtatennis.com
WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, has a mission to fuel the growth of professional women's tennis. Established in partnership with CVC Capital Partners in 2023, it aims to further elevate the profile of women's tennis, improve the product for fans and accelerate commercial growth for the benefit of players, tournaments and everyone involved in the sport. In its first full year of operation, WTA Ventures increased revenue by 25%, setting a new record for the WTA's commercial revenue.
About Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) and its sibling network TennisChannel 2, which are owned by Sinclair, Inc., are the only television-based multiplatform destinations dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. The networks have the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television in one of the world's most voluminous sports, with multiple men's and women's tournaments and singles, doubles and mixed competition throughout the year. Tennis Channel and TennisChannel 2 are the exclusive U.S. homes of all men's ATP World Tour and women's WTA Tour competitions, Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, and Laver Cup. The network's app and website TennisChannel.com house a direct-to-consumer streaming service with the traditional television network and 10,000 hours of live and on-demand matches beside original content. Tennis Channel International brings live competition and network content to markets in Europe and Asia via digital subscription and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. Additional platform Tennis.com is the largest digital outlet dedicated to the sport. Tennis Channel is also a co-owner of Pickleballtv, a joint venture with the Professional Pickleball Association.
About Sinclair:
Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates, and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 85 markets affiliated with all major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel, the premium destination for tennis enthusiasts; multicast networks CHARGE, Comet, ROAR and The Nest; and the nation's largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. Sinclair's AMP Media produces a growing portfolio of digital content and original podcasts. Additional information about Sinclair can be found at www.sbgi.net.
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