Tennis

Federer and Mercedes sign China partnership - 30 Apr 08

Mercedes-Benz China have entered into a multi-year advertising and strategic marketing partnership with Roger Federer.

Rise in prize money for Wimbledon - 30 Apr 08

Total prize money for this year’s Wimbledon will increase by 4.7 per cent, from £11,282,710 to £11,812,000, according to the All England Club’s chief executive, Ian Ritchie.

BoscoSport becomes Fed Cup sponsor - 24 Apr 08

BoscoSport agreed a deal with the International Tennis Federation to become an international sponsor of Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.

Patricio Apey to take part in the International Sports Marketing Summit - 22 Apr 08

SportBusiness is delighted to announce that Patricio Apey, Andy Murray's manager, has been confirmed as a panel member for the International Sports Marketing Summit.

ESPN acquires Wimbledon rights until 2013 - 21 Apr 08

North American-based sports broadcaster ESPN has finalised a six-year deal with The All England Tennis and Croquet Club for international television and internet rights for the Wimbledon tennis championships.

IEC in Sports signs further ATP Events and 5 Nations Rugby - 16 Apr 08

IEC in Sports renewed its deals with three important ATP events: the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Estoril Open in Portugal and the BA-CA Tennis Trophy in Vienna.

Nottingham ATP event scrapped - 9 Apr 08

The build-up to Wimbledon will have a different look from next year, with a new joint men's and women's tournament planned for Eastbourne.

BBC agrees new Wimbledon contract - 27 Mar 08

The BBC secured the rights to broadcast Wimbledon until 2014 in a new five-year deal which incorporates TV, radio, broadband and, for the first time, BBC iPlayer.

LTA and Stella Artois part company - 17 Mar 08

The Lawn Tennis Association and InBev UK, producers of the premium lager brand Stella Artois, mutually agreed to end their 30-year association. The 2008 Artois Grass Court Championship will be the last to carry the Artois name.

Eurosport launches in High Definition - 11 Mar 08

Eurosport is set to launch a simulcast channel in HD to cover all major sporting events for which it holds the rights in 2008, starting with the French Open at Roland Garros.

ESPI to sponsor Sri Lanka Davis Cup entry - 10 Mar 08

EPSI Computers Ltd signed a Rs. 2.5 million sponsorship deal with the Sri Lanka Tennis Association to aid Sri Lanka's participation in the Davis Cup.

ESPN STAR renews Australian Open deal - 26 Feb 08

ESPN STAR Sports has inked a new seven-year contract for the Australian Open tennis up to 2014 covering cable & satellite, IPTV, DTH and terrestrial rights.

Strong Scandinavian Platform for Sport Marketing - 19 Feb 08

IEC in Sports and PR Event merged to create the largest Scandinavian sports marketing company.

Neo Sports Plus wins major tennis rights - 8 Feb 08

Indian sports channel Neo Sports Plus acquired the TV rights for three major tennis tournaments: The Davis Cup, The Federation Cup and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Tennis third most popular sport at bookies - 22 Jan 08

Tennis is the third most popular sport with gamblers after horse racing and football according to Betfair, the internet betting exchange.

Olympus title sponsors US Open Series - 16 Jan 08

Olympus America Inc. agreed a deal to become the first title sponsor of the US Open Series of summer tennis tournaments under a six-year deal with the U.S. Tennis Association.

Perform serves up winning formula for Australian open - 15 Jan 08

Premium TV/Inform Group officially unveiled the company’s new name, Perform and launched a new broadband service for tennis’ opening Grand Slam of 2008, the Australian Open.

Sony Ericsson signs up Sharapova as global ambassador - 14 Jan 08

Mobile communications company Sony Ericsson signed an exclusive four-year sponsorship deal with Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova to become the company's first global brand ambassador.

Dubai Duty Free Extends WTA Tour Sponsorship - 10 Jan 08

Dubai Duty Free extended its sponsorship of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour until 2011.

Tennis to probe match-fixing claims - 9 Jan 08

Tennis' governing bodies united to launch a review of their anti-corruption polices following recent match-fixing and betting scandals.

Canal Plus buys Occade Sport - 3 Jan 08

Canal Plus, Vivendi’s pay-television unit, has agreed to buy Occade Sport, the Lyon-based organiser of sporting events.

Tennis Australia sets up broadband channel - 20 Dec 07

Tennis Australia has launched an on-demand broadband television channel for next year's Australian Open.

Dunlop named title sponsor of Orange Bowl - 28 Nov 07

Dunlop agreed a deal to title sponsor the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the world.

IMG MEDIA TO SELL SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR TV RIGHTS IN KEY MARKETS - 1 Nov 07

IMG Media was appointed exclusive sales agent for Sony Ericsson WTA Tour TV rights throughout the Asia Pacific region, Africa, the Middle East (excluding countries in the EBU zone) and Latin America.

ATP unveils new tier of “500” events - 5 Oct 07

The ATP, governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuit, awarded 10 cities “500” status for the new-look 2009 ATP Tour.

Portland, Oregon to host the 2007 Davis Cup - 2 Oct 07

The USTA announced that the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon will host the 2007 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between USA and Russia on November 30 - December 2.

Mercedes ends global ATP sponsorship - 1 Oct 07

Mercedes said it would not renew its sponsorship of the ATP, the men’s professional tennis tour, when it expires at the end of the 2008 season.

New WTA tournament to be held in Bali - 17 Sep 07

Bali will be the venue for a new season-ending Sony Ericsson WTA tour event - the Commonwealth Bank International Championship.

Betfair to unveil new 'player' to turbo tennis crowds - 12 Sep 07

Online gaming company Betfair is to unveil a new 'player' to mark its sponsorship of the UK's first ever Turbo Tennis event, to be held at the O2 Arena on September 15.

Barclays sponsors Dubai Tennis Championships - 11 Sep 07

Barclays, the global banking group is the new title sponsor of the annual Dubai Tennis Championships.

LONG TERM WTA EVENT DEAL FOR IEC - 3 Sep 07

IEC in Sports was appointed to handle worldwide TV and Digital New Media distribution for the WTA Internationaux de Strasbourg for the period of 2008 to 2011.

Duo face each other again for Tesco - 30 Aug 07

Tennis legends John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg are being reunited – by UK supermarket giant Tesco.

Venus in vogue as she serves up fashion line - 24 Aug 07

Tennis sensation Venus Williams has teamed up retailer Steve & Barry’s to launch what is being billed as the ‘largest fashion collection by a female athlete’.

MEDIA BOSS URGES SPORTS RIGHTS HOLDERS TO UNITE AGAINST YOUTUBE - 13 Aug 07

Robert Waterman, head of online boxing portal SecondsOut.com, is urging other sports rights holders to join the FA Premier League’s class action against YouTube.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN APPOINTS IMG MEDIA FOR NEW BROADCAST DEAL - 3 Aug 07

Tennis Australia appointed IMG Media to sell its Australian Open broadcast rights throughout the Asia Pacific region.

O2 TO HOST TENNIS MASTERS CUP FINAL FROM 2009 - 4 Jul 07

The Tennis Masters Cup, now re-named the ATP World Tour Final, will move from Shanghai to the 20,000 capacity London O2 arena in 2009.

WIMBLEDON TV FEES COULD BE SET TO RISE - 4 Jul 07

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC could be forced to pay a much higher price to secure a new TV rights deal for Wimbledon.

HUGE TV RIGHTS INCREASE FOR ROLAND GARROS - 3 Jul 07

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) signed a deal with the European Broadcast Union for the pan-European rights for the French Open outside of France worth E56 million from 2008-2011.

ESPN STAR SPORTS ACQUIRES MOBILE RIGHTS FOR WIMBLEDON - 27 Jun 07

ESPN Star Sports acquired the mobile rights for Wimbledon in India.

NBC, ESPN CLOSE IN ON WIMBLEDON RENEWALS - 25 Jun 07

US broadcasters NBC and ESPN are reported to be close to finalising multi-year renewal deals with the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the TV rights for Wimbledon.

SHARAPOVA SERVES UP SOCHI 2014 ACE - 22 Jun 07

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova held a tennis skills session on a specially made winter court, in the shadow of London’s Tower Bridge, and expressed her support for Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic bid.

MEDIAZONE SERVES UP WIMBLEDON ONLINE - 21 Jun 07

Fans of tennis Grand Slam Wimbledon will once again be able to log-on to a raft of video services after partners agreed to extend the Wimbledon Live channel.

BANGALORE, DOHA, ISTANBUL OR MONTERREY TO HOST 2008 WTA SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS - 15 Jun 07

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour said that Bangalore, India; Doha, Qatar; Istanbul, Turkey; and Monterrey, Mexico have been selected as the finalist bid cities to host the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships.

LAGARDÈRE AGREES DEAL TO ACQUIRE IEC - 11 Jun 07

Lagardère SCA agreed a deal to acquire the entire capital of International Events and Communication in Sports (IEC), the Swedish sports rights specialist founded in 1994.

FRENCH SPORTS JOIN PREMIER LEAGUE ACTION AGAINST YOUTUBE - 7 Jun 07

The national French tennis federation, Federation Française de Tennis, and the French football league, Ligue de Football Professionnel, along with Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co joined the Premier League’s class action lawsuit against YouTube and Google.

DUBAI SPORTS CITY UNVEILS INTERNATIONAL EVENTS STRATEGY - 6 Jun 07

Dubai Sports City unveiled its strategy to bring a share of the global sports business market to the UAE.

IEC SERVES UP AAMI CLASSIC - 4 Jun 07

IEC in Sports was appointed by Colin Stubs Enterprises to handle worldwide television distribution for tennis’ AAMI Classic for 2008 and 2009.

US OPEN EXTENDS CBS TV RIGHTS DEAL - 8 May 07

The US Open and US network CBS have agreed a new six-year deal reported to be worth about $145 million for the year’s final Grand Slam tennis tournament.

ATP SWEDISH OPEN BIGGEST SWEDISH EVENT FOR MEDIA WORLDWIDE - 4 May 07

ATP Catella Swedish Open has become the biggest annual event in Sweden in terms of international media coverage.

DIRECTV TO CARRY TENNIS CHANNEL - 17 Apr 07

The Tennis Channel agreed a multi-year distribution agreement with US satellite provider DirecTV which will increase both its reach and lift its profile.

TENNIS STARS ANGRY OVER ATP REVAMP - 16 Apr 07

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are among the top men’s tennis players to be concerned over the pace of proposed changes to the structure of men's professional tennis.

IMG ACQUIRES QUINTUS - 13 Apr 07

The IMG agency acquired Quintus, the sports and entertainment company. The acquisition follows the recent purchase by IMG of a number of other companies including CSI Sports, BSI Speedway, Tennis Week and Art + Commerce.

ROLAND-GARROS LAUNCHES EUROPEAN MEDIA RIGHTS TENDER - 12 Apr 07

The French Tennis Federation, La Fédération Française de Tennis, launched a European media rights tender.

SHANGHAI CONFIRMED AS ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT FROM 2009 - 28 Mar 07

The ATP Board approved Shanghai as the host of the ATP’s Asian Masters Series tournament, starting in 2009.

CANON SERVES UP TENNIS SPONSORSHIP - 5 Mar 07

Photography company Canon agreed a deal to serve as host sponsor for the annual Indian Wells tennis tournament.

US DAVIS CUP TICKETS SELLING AT RECORD PACE - 27 Feb 07

Tickets for the US v Spain Davis Cup quarter final in April are selling at record pace, meaning the event could become the highest attended Davis Cup tie in the US in over 15 years and the third highest of all time.

ANNA SERVES UP K-SWISS BRAND BOOST - 23 Feb 07

Tennis star Anna Kournikova has signed a deal to become brand spokesman for leisurewear firm K-Swiss.

WIMBLEDON AGREES EQUAL PAY DEAL - 23 Feb 07

Organisers of the Wimbledon tennis championships have confirmed they will offer equal prize payments to men and women this year – bringing it in line with the other Grand Slams.

LONGINES TEAMS UP WITH ROLAND GARROS 2007 - 15 Feb 07

The Swiss watch brand Longines agreed a deal to become the new official partner and timekeeper for Roland Garros 2007.

AVIVA APPOINTS FAST TRACK TO SPONSORSHIP TASK - 9 Feb 07

Aviva, the savings, investments and insurance group, appointed Fast Track’s Consulting division to carry out a review of the group’s global approach to commercial sponsorship, with the project initially planned to run through 2007.

IEC IN TV DEAL WITH ATP SWEDISH OPEN UNTIL 2010 - 5 Feb 07

IEC in Sports expanded its relationship with the Swedish ATP Tournament, the Catella Swedish Open, in a new deal leading up to 2010.

IT’S DAVIS CUP TIME FOR ROLEX - 31 Jan 07

Watch maker Rolex has become an international sponsor of the ITF’s Davis Cup.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN EXTENDS DEAL WITH EUROSPORT - 29 Jan 07

Tennis Australia signed an exclusive four-year TV and internet deal for the rights to tennis’ Australian Open from 2008 to 2011.

KIA MOTORS ENHANCES SPORTS SPONSORSHIP - 16 Jan 07

Kia Motors Corporation said it would enhance its association with tennis and sport in 2007, as it enters its sixth consecutive year as the major sponsor of the Australian Open grand slam tennis tournament.

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR EXTEND SCOTT’S ROLE - 10 Jan 07

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Board of Directors voted unanimously to extend the contract of Tour Chairman & CEO Larry Scott for an additional five years, until 2011.

BILL TO GIVE INDIAN BROADCASTER CRICKET RIGHTS - 8 Jan 07

The Indian government said it would bring in legislation to make it mandatory for pay-broadcasters to share sports feed with public-service broadcaster Prasar Bharati, ahead of this year’s Cricket World Cup.

IMG ACQUIRES TENNIS WEEK AND TENNISWEEK.COM - 3 Jan 07

The IMG agency acquired Tennis Week magazine, adding to its fast-growing stable of publications.

MERCEDES-BENZ AND ATP EXTEND PARTNERSHIP - 3 Jan 07

Mercedes-Benz and the Association of Tennis Professionals said that the car company would increase on- and off-court sponsorship efforts in 2006.

SKY SPORTS 2006 – MORE SPORT THAN EVER BEFORE - 2 Jan 07

UK pay-broadcaster SKY SPORTS broadcast a total of 40,638 hours of sport in 2006, offering more programming in the past twelve months than any previous year.

ANSON NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ATP EUROPE - 29 Nov 06

The ATP, governing body of the men’s professional tennis appointed Andy Anson as chief executive of ATP Europe.

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR TO BE STREAMLINED BY 2009 - 22 Nov 06

The WTA said that a major overhaul of women's tennis will be completed by 2009.

SCANDIANAVIAN AGENCY SIGNS UP ATHLETES - 21 Nov 06

Scandinavian marketing agency SportBusinessNordic set up a new business division and signed agreements to represent a number of sporting talents in golf, ice-hockey and tennis.

ESPN STAR SPORTS WINS TV FRENCH OPEN RIGHTS - 15 Nov 06

Pan-Asian broadcaster ESPN Star Sports acquired the exclusive TV rights for tennis’ French Open.

RECORD TRAFFIC FOR ATP TENNIS ON THE NET - 13 Nov 06

ATPtennis.com set a new traffic record in October when it recorded 580,591 unique visitors during the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid. The Web site attracted more than 1.7 million user sessions as fans registered more than 9 million page impressions.

ATP MASTERS SERIES RE-APPOINTS IMG MEDIA UNTIL 2010 - 8 Nov 06

ATP Media, the broadcast arm of the ATP Masters Series, extended its consultancy deal with IMG Media for a further three years.

WTA PRESIDENT SERVES UP TOP AWARD - 18 Oct 06

Stacey Allaster, president of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, has been become the first woman to scoop a top sports business award in Canada.

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR EXTENDS INNOVATIONS - 26 Sep 06

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour said it would extend and expand its innovations programme to include the introduction of on-court coaching trials at events during the autumn.

NH HOTELES EXTENDS DAVIS CUP SPONSORSHIP - 25 Sep 06

The International Tennis Federation and NH Hoteles extended the sponsorship agreement between the international hotel company and the Davis Cup until 2009.

US OPEN SETS TOURNAMENT RECORDS - 19 Sep 06

The 2006 US Open set several records in attendance and website traffic and generated significant television ratings.

DRINK FIRM SPONSORSHIPS ATTACKED - 15 Sep 06

The UK's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has recommended that drinks companies should be banned from sponsoring sports and music events in the UK.

SONY ERICSSON SPONSORS TENNIS MASTERS CUP - 11 Sep 06

Mobile phone company Sony Ericsson agreed a three-year deal to become the official mobile phone of the Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai.

EUROSPORT EXTENDS US OPEN TV DEAL UNTIL 2012 - 8 Sep 06

Pan-European broadcaster Eurosport extended its TV deal with the US Tennis Association for the US Open for an additional six years until the 2012 US Open.

NEW FED FINAL CUP SPONSOR - 5 Sep 06

The International Tennis Federation agreed a deal with new mobile-enabled classified advertising service Mobiya making it Official Sponsor of the 2006 Final of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.

USTA TURNED DOWN $100M ROOF PLAN - 31 Aug 06

US Open chiefs have admitted they had investigated putting a roof on the Arthur Ashe Stadium – but turned their noses up at the $100m price tag.

KING DELIGHT AT USTA VENUE NAMING - 30 Aug 06

The US Tennis Association has turned its back on potentially millions of dollars and opted not to sell the naming rights to its new National Tennis Centre.

SONY ERICSSON SIGNS $20M TITLE RIGHTS DEAL - 30 Aug 06

It is already naming sponsor of the WTA Tour – now Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has served up its latest tennis deal; a $20m-plus, four-year contract for title sponsorship of the former Nasdaq-100 Open.

IMG SERVE UP MONFILS MANAGEMENT DEAL - 22 Aug 06

French teenage tennis ace Gael Monfils has signed a representation deal with IMG.

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR TRIALS ON-COURT COACHING - 14 Aug 06

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will experiment with on-court coaching at this week's Rogers Cup in Montreal as part of a plan to enhance the sport's entertainment value.

NORWICH CITY OPENS FLAGSHIP SPACES FOR SPORTS - 31 Jul 06

Norwich City manager Nigel Worthington, England goalkeeper Robert Green and Delia Smith visited Carrow Road, in Norwich, to officially open the new ‘flagship’ sports site Carrow Park on behalf of Barclays Spaces for Sports.

US OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONS POCKET $1.2 MILLION - 19 Jul 06

The US Tennis Association said the winners of this year’s men’s and women’s singles championships at the US Open will win at least $1.2 million, up 6.7 per cent from the record payout in 2005.

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR INKS NEW EUROSPORT TV DEAL - 10 Jul 06

Women’s tennis’s Sony Ericsson WTA Tour agreed a new four-year deal for its European TV rights, from 2008 to 2011, with long-term television partners, pan-European broadcaster Eurosport and Regency Enterprises. The landmark deal is the largest TV deal in women’s sport and is a major element of the Tour’s new TV strategy for women’s tennis.

AUSTRALIAN TENNIS EVENTS TO MERGE - 7 Jul 06

The Australian men’s and women’s hardcourt championships, presently held in Adelaide and on the Gold Coast respectively, will merge from 2009.

INDONESIA PULLS OUT OF FED CUP TIE - 5 Jul 06

Indonesia has pulled out of a planned Fed Cup tennis match in Israel in protest against to actions in the Gaza Strip, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

INDONESIA PULLS OUT OF FED CUP TIE - 5 Jul 06

Indonesia has pulled out of a planned Fed Cup tennis match in Israel in protest against to actions in the Gaza Strip, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

AGENDA: JULY 3-11, 2006 - 3 Jul 06

A GUIDE TO KEY EVENTS

BLAIR BACKS CALL FOR WIMBLEDON EQUAL PAY - 28 Jun 06

British Prime Minister has entered the row over inequality of payments at tennis Grand Slam Wimbledon by saying he ‘fully endorses’ the campaign to get event organisers to pay the same prize money to both men and women players.

MURRAY BANKS RBS EXTENSION - 28 Jun 06

British tennis star Andy Murray has signed an extension to his agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS).

ATP UNVEILS NEW PLAYER COUNCIL - 27 Jun 06

Men’s international tennis governing body the ATP has confirmed the appointment of its new Player Council.

MURRAY CLOCK WATCHES FOR TAG HEUER - 27 Jun 06

Swiss sports watch brand TAG Heuer has signed a sponsorship deal with British tennis’ latest star, Andrew Murray.

SPORTZ SURVEY SERVES UP A SURPRISE - 27 Jun 06

More British TV viewers claim they specially chose to watch Wimbledon the last time it was on TV rather than the FIFA World Cup, according to a new study.