LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2021 – Tennis Channel’s coverage of the 2021 French Open led to the most-watched match in network history. The men’s singles semifinal between future Hall of Famers Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on Friday, June 11, generated 511,000 viewers on the channel (Nielsen Live+SD, P2+). This surpassed the previous most-watched match, a 2019 Australian Open contest between Roger Federer – another future Hall of Famer – and Taylor Fritz, which led to 448,000 viewers.
Three other French Open matches this year ranked among Tennis Channel’s top 20 of all time: No. 10: Maria Sakkari vs. Elise Mertens, third round, Saturday, June 5 – 404,000 viewers
No. 15: Serena Williams vs. Irina-Camelia Begu, first round, Monday, May 31 – 394,000 viewers (first French Open night session)
No. 20: Rafael Nadal vs. Cameron Norrie, third round, Saturday, June 5 – 370,000 viewers
Tennis Channel’s 15th year of comprehensive French Open coverage took place May 30-June 13, all 15 days of tennis’ second major tournament and the world’s most prestigious clay-court competition. It included daily televised and streamed matches; all-night encores; additional exclusive competition produced for parent-company Sinclair Broadcast Group’s regional sports networks; special features and reports in and about the event’s host city of Paris; and an on-air team with Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier and Lindsay Davenport.
Tennis Channel(www.tennischannel.com), which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights at the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, ATP World Tour events, WTA competitions, Laver Cup and Fed Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by all of the top 10 video providers.
About Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
Sinclair is a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news. The Company owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
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For further information:
Eric Abner, Tennis Channel, 310-314-9445, eabner@tennischannel.com, @TennisChannelPR