Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has signed a three-year deal to broadcast the US Open starting August 2022.
As part of the deal, the broadcaster will get the exclusive media rights (TV and digital) of the global sporting event between 2022-24. The 2022 iteration of the US Open will be televised on the SPN’s sports channels across the Indian subcontinent – Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan & Maldives ad the matches will also be available to livestream on their premium OTT platform SonyLIV.
This year’s final Grand Slam, the 2022 US Open, is scheduled to take place between August 29, 2022 – September 11, 2022. After successfully broadcasting the Australian Open and Roland-Garros in 2022, Sony Pictures Networks India aims to repeat the success for the US Open and provide a seamless viewing experience of the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The live coverage of the 142nd edition of the revered tournament will begin on 29th August 2022 at 7:30 PM daily on SPN’s sports channels. And, for the first time in India, the broadcaster will telecast the marquee tournament in four languages across SONY SIX, SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels, starting with the single’s quarterfinal matches (6th September 2022 onwards).
The live coverage of the Grand Slam will include Sony Sports’ flagship LIVE studio show for tennis – Extraaa Serve. The show will be hosted by Suhail Chandhok and will feature Indian tennis legend, Vijay Amritraj, former India number one tennis player, Somdev Devvarman and India Davis Cupper, Purav Raja.
The regional language commentary that starts from the quarterfinals will have former India Davis Cupper & Asian Gold medalist Gaurav Natekar, Manish Batavia, Atish Thukral provide Hindi commentary. Joining them in the studio will be Indian Davis Cupper Jeevan Neduncheziyan, Srinivasan Sheshadri & Arun Venugopal for Tamil commentary along with India Davis Cupper Vishnu Vardhan, Sandeep Kumar & former India number one Rishika Sunkara for Telugu commentary.
Commenting on the development, Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India, said: “We are pleased to acquire the media rights for the US Open, the final stop of the tennis Grand Slam calendar, which makes us the premier destination for tennis fans in India and the subcontinent. for the first time in its history of broadcast in India, the US Open will be broadcast in four languages on our network. As the Home of Tennis, we have been and will continue to serve the growing tennis fanbase in India.”
Meanwhile, Kirsten Corio, Chief Commercial Officer, USTA, said: “Having a broadcast partner committed to becoming a home for tennis in their region is central to growing fan engagement with the game and is what makes Sony Pictures Networks India a perfect partner for the US Open. We’re excited to work alongside them to deliver the US Open across the Indian subcontinent to our fans there for the next three years.”
On the other hand, Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis legend said: “I am delighted to be working with Sony Sports channels after many years for a Grand Slam event in India. I have great memories of the US Open having played it in the 70s and the 80s and having been in two quarterfinals. My win over Rod Laver in 1973 and Bjorn Borg in 1974 are still firmly etched in my mind.”
“I am really looking forward to covering the final Grand Slam of the year for tennis fans on Sony Sports channels,” he added.
Notably, one of the oldest tennis championships, the US Open will wrap up the tennis season with fierce competition on the courts and glamourous attendees in the stands. Held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., the tournament has seen victors such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu in recent years.
The competition will get fierce as the reigning champion and world No.1 Daniil Medvedev marks his return to the US Open. The courts in Flushing Meadows, New York, will witness participation from the likes of Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Serena Williams, Iga Swiatek, and Anett Kontaveit, among others.