Nine and Stan have announced they have secured the international rights for two of the world’s greatest sporting events, Wimbledon and Roland-Garros, having agreed to terms for three-year deals for the two Grand Slam tournaments. Content from the two leading sporting tournaments, including the women’s and men’s singles finals, will appear across Nine and Stan’s multiplatform channel offering, with coverage appearing on free-to-air television on the 9Network and building out the newly announced Stan Sport ad-free subscriber sports proposition, which was announced on Monday.
With the announcement of Stan Sports, which will launch in 2021 and give Australian sports fan a live and on-demand premium sport option to be offered as an add on package to Stan streaming customers, with the initial content through 2021 stemming from a new partnership with Rugby Australia and complemented by these international tennis rights agreements.
“On Monday we talked about how Nine was taking a whole-of-television approach to the way we look at sports rights,” Hugh Marks, CEO of Nine commented “Today’s announcement sees us secure two of the world’s great tennis tournaments and gives us the flexibility to develop the right mix of games which will appear on free-to-air television while ensuring all games are available to Stan Sport subscribers live and ad-free on Stan.
Marks explained that the combination of Stan, alongside Nine’s broader TV platforms and media assets, means Stan is better placed than any other streaming or broadcast TV businesses to bring these sports to more Australians than ever before. In 2021, Stan will be a one stop shop for both these tournaments delivering every match, from every court, live and on demand, and ad-free.
“With this announcement, Stan will become a new home of Wimbledon and Roland-Garros — two of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments. Expanding our live streaming offer, sports fans can look forward to full coverage of both tournaments live & on demand, ad-free on Stan from 2021.” Mike Sneesby, CEO of Stan, commented.
“We are delighted to be announcing a return to Channel Nine’s multiple platforms as our exclusive broadcast partner for The Championships in Australia. Wimbledon has a long and proud history in Australia, and we look forward to seeing The Championships unfold across Nine’s impressive network.” Mick Desmond, Commercial & Media Director, The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, commented “I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Channel Seven and Foxtel for their efforts in broadcasting Wimbledon over the past decade.”
“We are very happy to have signed this agreement with Nine. The multiple viewing platforms they offer will only increase the renown of Roland-Garros Down Under, where tennis fans boast a real passion for the game,” explains Bernard Giudicelli, President of the French Tennis Federation.