LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2021 – For the first time in its almost 18-year history, Tennis Channel will be the exclusive home of the Miami Open, one of the sport’s most prestigious, star-laden competitions. The network’s telecast will take viewers from first ball March 23 to championship point April 4 at an event commonly referred to as one of tennis’ “Fifth Slams,” surpassed in importance by only the four majors. Though Tennis Channel has had live coverage of most of the Miami Open in years past, 2021 marks the first time the network will show championship weekend live as well.
Live, daylong match blocks and all-night encores will essentially create a round-the-clock Miami Open channel for fans to stay tuned into during the entire event, enhanced by live and on-demand competition on streaming service Tennis Channel Plus. Tennis Channel is also partnering with parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group’s regional sports networks (RSNs) to offer daily, exclusive matches that will not be seen on Tennis Channel, putting more live Miami Open play on television than ever before.
With plans to show 125 hours of live coverage – more than it ever has in the past – Tennis Channel will offer an additional 170 hours of encore replays. Another six-and-a-half hours of nightly wrap-up show Tennis Channel Live at the Miami Openwill see the network dedicate more than 300 hours to the Miami Open this year. Streaming service Tennis Channel Pluswill offer every match from the event’s Hard Rock Stadium live or on demand, with live coverage March 23-April 1.
The 2021 Miami Open begins Tuesday, March 23, at 11 a.m. ET. Up to the end of the second week, Tennis Channel’s coverage will feature daylong match blocks of live tennis – typically from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET – followed by half-hour wrap-up show Tennis Channel Live at the Miami Open. At its conclusion encore coverage will begin and last throughout the late night and early morning, up to the next day’s start of play. Championship weekend will see the women’s singles and men’s doubles finals on Saturday, April 3, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Sunday, April 4, will showcase the men’s championship followed by the women’s doubles, also beginning at 1 p.m. ET. On both days Tennis Channel will sandwich Tennis Channel Live at the Miami Openbetween the singles and doubles matches.
On-Air Talent
Tennis Channel’s start-to-finish coverage of the 2021 Miami Open will include four Hall of Famers, three other former tour players and an on-air team of a dozen overall. Play by play analysis, updates and reporting will take place on the tournament grounds in Miami and the network’s Los Angeles studio – with virtual assists from other parts of the country as well.
Hall of Famer (and Miami resident) Martina Navratilova (@Martina) will offer analysis from Tennis Channel’s South Florida tournament booth for the first time. One of the greatest athletes ever, Navratilova swept the singles, doubles and mixed-doubles crowns at the inaugural Miami event in 1985. Analysts Jim Courier and Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76) are also in the Hall of Fame. In 1991 Courier was the first to win the “Sunshine Double” with back-to-back singles titles in Indian Wells and Miami, while Davenport reached the singles final in 2000. Hall of Famer Andy Roddick (@andyroddick) is returning to Tennis Channel for the Miami Open after appearing on the network last summer and with the start of the 2021 season in January. He won the 2004 singles championship in Miami, and will offer his thoughts each day on Tennis Channel Live at the Miami Openvia Skype.
Paul Annacone (@paul_annacone), Leif Shiras (@ShirasLeif) and Prakash Amritraj (@PrakashAmritraj) also logged miles on the pro circuit before joining the network. Annacone won the 1987 doubles crown in Miami and will comment during Shiras’ play-by-play for Tennis Channel matches that appear on Sinclair’s RSNs each day. Amritraj, the channel’s international reporter and Los Angeles-based studio analyst, will work the Miami tournament desk with host Dani Klupenger (@daniklup).
Award-winning announcers Brett Haber (@BrettHaber), Ted Robinson (@tedjrobinson) and Steve Weissman (@steveweissman) will call matches during the 2021 Miami Open, with Robinson and Weissman also hostingTennis Channel Live at the Miami Open. In addition to Courier and Davenport, the nightly wrap-up show will also featureSports Illustrated’s andCBS 60 Minutes’ Jon Wertheim’s (@jonwertheim) impressions of the South Florida storylines this year.
Digital
In addition to live coverage, Tennis Channel Plus will make every men’s and women’s Miami Open match available on-demand. Roddick will also engage with fans digitally via Q&As, Instagram Live conversations with players and other on-air talent, and original video content. Amritraj’s “Prakash Worldwide” online updates will return in Miami, as will video and social posts from My Tennis Life stars Cici Bellis and Tennys Sandgren. Tennis.com will offer round-the-clock coverage of the event as well, including blogs from the network’s editorial team.
Tennis Channel’s YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/tennischannel), Facebook (www.facebook.com/tennischannel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/tennischannel) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/tennischannel) pages will remain focused on the tournament throughout the Miami Open, as will Tennis.com’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/TennisMedia) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/Tennis) pages.
Sinclair RSN Partnership
For more than half of the Miami Open’s 13 days, Tennis Channel will produce two matches a day exclusively for Sinclair’s RSNs. Manned by Shiras and Annacone, the competition will be live daily from Wednesday, March 24, through Tuesday, March 30, at 11 a.m. ET through approximately 3 p.m. ET or the conclusion of the second match. All 19 Sinclair-owned FOX Sports RSNs and Marquee Sports Network will have access to the Tennis Channel Miami Open programming, allowing the tournament to reach an additional 80M+ television homes nationwide. Viewers who subscribe to Tennis Channel and Sinclair’s RSNs will be able to choose from two different sets of televised matches during these windows.
Tennis Channel’s Live Miami Open Coverage Schedule (Men’s/Women’s Singles Unless Otherwise Specified):
Date Time (ET) Event
Tuesday, March 23 11 a.m.-7 p.m. First Round
Wednesday, March 24 11 a.m.-midnight First Round
Thursday, March 25 11 a.m.-midnight First Round, Second Round
Friday, March 26 11 a.m.-midnight Second Round
Saturday, March 27 11 a.m.-12:15 a.m. Second Round, Third Round
Sunday, March 28 11 a.m.-12:15 a.m. Third Round
Monday, March 29 11 a.m.-12:15 a.m. Third Round, Round of 16
Tuesday, March 30 11 a.m.-12:15 a.m. Round of 16, Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 31 1 p.m.-12:15 a.m. Singles/Doubles Quarterfinals
Thursday, April 1 1 p.m.-12:15 a.m. Quarterfinals,
Singles/Doubles Semifinals
Friday, April 2 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.;
7 p.m.-11:45 Singles/Doubles Semifinals
Saturday, April 3 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Women’s Singles Final,
Men’s Doubles Final
Sunday, April 4 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Men’s Doubles Final,
Women’s Double Final
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, Davis 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 23 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 186 television stations in 87 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.
# # #
For further information:
Eric Abner, Tennis Channel, 310-314-9445, eabner@tennischannel.com, @TennisChannelPR