If Foxtel does get some domestic tennis it will also have to deal with Eurosport which has the rights to ATP and WTA tournaments and is available on the pay TV service. Last summer Eurosport showed the Brisbane International and Sydney International often in competition with Seven. Will Nine/Foxtel demand Eurosport to stop broadcasting these tournaments?
If itās true that Nine are picking up the rights to the Australian Open, Iād imagine they probably wonāt bother continuing with the Tour Down Under coverage beyond the duration of the current contract.
As for whether or not Nine retain the rights to the cricket, itās probably a case of wait and see at this stage.
Itād probably depend on whether thereās any āall coverage on the main channel/HDā provision in the contract. Although realistically, I donāt think Nine would want to prioritise the cycling over the more widely followed tennis.
Nine have clearly hedged their bets in case they donāt get the cricket.
Cameron Williams obviously know they have the rights but jumped the gun with the tweet: there has to be some truth in the rumor.
Maybe Nine got this so horse trade with foxtel with cricket as well. Who knows.
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There you go. Itās a done deal. Very surprising indeed and well done to mine for surprising the market and viewers for this new era in broadcasting.
Letās hope cricket Australia can do the same.
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Looking forward to Married at First Sight āAfter the Tennisā. 
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NINE SECURES ALL RIGHTS TO TENNIS
NINE AND TENNIS AUSTRALIA SIGN FIVE-YEAR ALL-PLATFORM DEAL
Nine today announced that it has secured the exclusive rights to all premium tennis played in Australia for five years, from 2020 to 2024.
Nine has acquired all audiovisual rights for broadcast, streaming, mobile, digital and social platforms under a landmark agreement with Tennis Australia. Under this new deal, Nine will work with Tennis Australia and other industry stakeholders to find other distribution channels that will complement Nineās broadcast of tennis.
The $300 million, five-year deal encompasses the Australian Open in Melbourne as well as the lead-up tournaments around Australia ā the Hopman Cup in Perth and the Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart Internationals.
The new tennis rights agreement, worth $60 million per annum, will give Nine an unparalleled launch platform for the television ratings year, which commences straight after the Australian Open.
The Australian Open is consistently among the most watched programs of the year. Last yearās menās final was the second most watched program of 2017, with a national average audience of 3.64 million. This yearās menās final secured a national average audience of 2.369 million and is currently ranked as the number one sports program and the third most watched program on Australian television so far in 2018.
Hugh Marks, CEO of Nine, said: āWe are thrilled to have secured the rights to premium Australian tennis, particularly the Australian Open. The timing of tennis and the audience demographics it delivers are a perfect fit for Nine and its advertisers.
āWe share Tennis Australiaās passion to grow its events, particularly the Australian Open, and expand its broadcast proposition in this country. To say we are excited to be part of that future is an understatement.ā
"This is a landmark deal for Tennis Australia and we are very excited to partner with the Nine Network for the next five years,ā Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.
"Four years ago we brought the host broadcast for the Australian Open and all our events in-house and this success has allowed us to unlock even more value in our domestic media rights.
"Our objective going into this process was a growth plan for exposure across the key planks of both tennis and non-tennis content, and the Nine offer best met these requirements. Nineās commitment to additional tennis programing year-round was also aligned to our strategy.
āThere are components within this new agreement which we believe will help us further grow our events and the sport of tennis.ā
Tom Malone, Nineās Director of Sport, said: āWe are delighted that Wide World of Sports will become the new home of tennis in Australia. The Australian Open is an incredible tournament and event which will complement our existing rights across NRL, State of Origin, Netball and The Masters, as well as providing benefits to our news, entertainment and lifestyle pillars.
āCritical to this deal is the exclusive acquisition of all rights, which means we are unrestricted in our ability to serve tennis to audiences across the country anytime, anywhere, on the platform of their choosing.ā
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Tennis Australia doing the right thing and locking out foxtel as well. Good to see
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Not necessarily:
This could mean Foxtel perhaps.
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Thatās how I read it.
Interesting to see Hobart included. Donāt think thatās been on fta before.
Interestingly the new rights deal omits to mention the Kooyong Classic, also a lead-up tournament to the Australian Open. Perhaps it is not part of the AO series and Nine will have to negotiate a separate contract with Kooyong organisers?
I also notice the new deal now includes the Hobart International. Previously the WTA tournament aired only on Fox Sports and/or BeIN Sport.
Is it too early to speculate what Nineās commentary team will be? When Nine covered the US Open and Wimbledon a decade ago, commentators included Fred Stolle, John Newcombe and Rennae Stubbs. I think Newcombe and Stubbs will return to Nine to provide expert comments for most tournaments. Lleyton Hewitt could also join.
Huge acquisition for nine. Obviously this is the first, of probably many, causalities from the excessive amount they paid for the AFL rights.
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I think it has been. Manly and Canberra were on free-to-air many years ago.
Nine News just broke into a commercial break to announce the deal. Big coup for them.
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Nineās deal also includes the Davis Cup.
New CEO at Tennis Australia (ex Jetstar boss) was fairly vocal when she got the role she was taking Tennis Aus in a new direction with slot of change coming. Looks like she is clearing the decks.
Great to see.
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I recall the Manly tournament, but Hobart only goes back to the mid 1990s as a wta tournament.
So I wonder who will be the main presenters?
Tony Jones? Cameron?