BT Sport extends live women's tennis TV rights

BT Sport has signed a new deal to show up to 52 live Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments every year.

The WTA features the world’s best female players, including Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber. The deal is great news for British viewers following the recent successes of Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Naomi Broady.

The new deal from January 2017 reiterates BT Sport’s commitment to women’s tennis, with the UK broadcaster screening up to 52 events each year, an increase of 30 events per year on top of the current deal. BT Sport will also have the digital rights to broadcast tennis clips and WTA content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, said: “We are delighted to not only extend our deal with the WTA but also add even more women’s tennis to our calendar. From 2017 we will be broadcasting up to 156 events over a three year period and showcasing the best in women’s world tennis and British tennis too. We have been broadcasting elite tennis since 2013 and this reiterates our commitment to women’s sport.”

Steve Simon, WTA CEO, said: “We’re delighted BT Sport will continue to offer the best of women’s tennis and bring our premium events and world-class players to millions of fans and households across the UK and Ireland.”

John Learing, Managing Director WTA Media, said: “We’re obviously thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with BT Sport. Their investment in our sport goes far beyond a rights fee. They are a true partner in every sense of the word.”

The BT Sport deal continues to include the four prestigious Premier WTA tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing, along with the season-end WTA Finals in Singapore.

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