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Nine has reached agreement with Tennis Australia and the Seven Network to bring forward its rights deal to broadcast tennis by one year.
The new deal means Nine will be the home of Australia’s highest-rating summer sport for six years, commencing in January 2019.
Under the terms of the agreement, Nine has now secured the exclusive rights to all world-class tennis played in Australia from 2019 to 2024.
Nine CEO Hugh Marks and Tennis Australia chair Jayne Hrdlicka
The rights granted for the one-year extension are exactly as per the original deal, meaning Nine has acquired all audio-visual rights for broadcast, streaming, mobile, digital and social platforms, starting with the coming summer of tennis.
In return for agreeing to take on the rights one year early, Nine was able to secure the 2019 rights for a cost of $48.5 million, compared to $60 million from 2020.
Hugh Marks, CEO of Nine, said: “There’s an air of excitement at Nine about being the new home of tennis, so to be able to start our new deal a year early brings us all much delight. As I said back in March, the timing of tennis and the audience demographics it delivers are a perfect fit for Nine and its advertisers. We’re also mighty pleased to have been able to settle on a price for the additional year that is consistent with our original offer to Seven.”
The six-year deal encompasses the Australian Open in Melbourne as well as the lead-up tournaments around Australia – the Hopman Cup in Perth and the Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart Internationals.
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Top photo: Roger Federer (credit: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock)